The Christchurch Junior Cricket Association draw for Saturday, November 22 is:(All matches to start at 9am)Senior Traditional Two-day2-day Match:Section 1:Bwu1 v Nb1 Raw2,Hals1 v Oc1 Elm4,Stac1 v Es1 Stac3,Es2 v Med1 Med1.Section 2:Hare1 v Hh1 Red1,Es3 v Oc2 Ilam4,Stac2 v Cagr1 Cagr1,Syd1 v Hals2 Halsd1.Senior Traditional One-daySection 1:Bwu2 v Es5 Cla1,Pk4 v Sum1 Bar1,Med2 v Hsob1 Hgsc,Syd5 v Oc3 Cash1,Oc4 v Bwu3 Burn7,Horn1 v Es4 Cla2.Section 2:Bwu4 v Syd6 Burn5,Syd7 v Stac3 Stac4a,Med3 v Nb2 Ilam2,Hals3 v Horn2 Halsd2,Stc1 v Cagr2 Cagr2,Sum2 v Lpw2 Bar2,Syd2 v Sum3 Syd4.Section 3:Bwu5 v Oc8 Burn10,Lpw4 v Oc5 Ens2,Upr1 v Mp1 Emc1,Bwu7 v Med4 Burn9,Oc6 v Bwu6 Ilam1,Syd8 v Med6 Syd2,Es6 v Med5 Stal1,Stc2 v Oc7 Ilam6.Junior Traditional One-daySection 1:Oc15 v Pk5 Fns1a,Oc10 v Es10 Stal2,Syd14 v Med7 Cash2a,Hals4 v Es11 Halsd3,Oc11 v Oc12 Elm3.Section 2:Bwu9 v Syd15 Ilam3,Syd17 v Sum4 Lind1,Nb3 v Hare2 Stal3,Lpw5 v Horn3 Han1a,Oc13 v Hals5 Halsd4,Es12 v Cagr3 Cagr3.Section 3:Heath1 v Oc16 Hd1,Oc14 v Upr2 Rd1,Upr3 v Lpw6 Ens3,Syd18 v Hals6 Beck2,Stac4 v Pk6 Stac5,Bwu8 v Nb4 Burn8.Junior ModifiedZone 1:Bwu11 v Hals8 West1a,Hsob3 v Bwu10 Kirk1a,Oc21 v Sum5 Polo3a,Oc24 v Oc22 Polo1a,Oc20 v Med8 Polo4a,Hals7 v Oc23 Halss1a.Zone 2:Es14 v Syd20 Sis1a,Es16 v Mp2 Polo2a,Mp3 v Es15 Bow1a,Syd21 v Syd22 Thor1a.Junior AverageZone 1:Sum7 v Heath2 Brgn1,Lpw9 v Lpw8 Brgn2,Hals9 v Sum6 Brgn3,Hals11 v Syd34 Brgn4,Syd30 v Syd32 Brgn5,Syd33 v Hals12 Brgn6,Syd35 v Hals10 Brgn7,Hh2 v Syd31 Brgn8.Zone2:Nb5 v Cagr4 Walt5,Stac6 v Nb6 Walt7,Cagr5 v Stac5 Walt8,Es23 v Oc34 BurwN1,Es25 v Syd36 Brgn9,Syd37 v Es24 Brgn10,Oc35 v Pk7 BurwN2,Oc36 v Hare3 Walt9.Zone 3:Med10 v Horn4 Jel2,Ricc1 v Med9 Jel3,Mp5 v Oc37 Jel4,Oc31 v Oc32 Jel5,Oc33 v Oc30 Jel6,Hare4 v Mp4 Jel7,Hsob4 Bye.KiwiZone 1:Lpw10 v Heath3 Brad1,Syd41 v Hals14 Brad2,Syd43 v Sum9 Brad3,Hals13 v Syd42 Brad4,Syd40 v Hh3 Brad5,Sum8 v Syd44 Brad6.Zone 2:Cagr7 v Nb7 Walt1,Nb8 v Cagr6 Walt2,Med11 v Stac7 Walt3.Zone3:Pk9 v Horn6 Walt11,Oc40 v Pk8 Walt4,Ricc2 v Oc45 Jel1,Oc41 v Mp6 Elm7,Oc42 v Mp7 Elm8,Oc46 v Oc43 Elm5,Oc44 v Upr4 Elm6,Horn5 v Tait1 Jel8.

Mumbai 15 for 0 trail Delhi 199 (Gambhir 96, Bahutule 5-45, Kulkarni 4-62) by 184 runs
With the return of Ashish Nehra and Akash Chopra, Delhi began their match against Mumbai in an upbeat mood. But they frittered away the advantage of batting first by crumbling to a modest 199 all out. Gautam Gambhir’s sparkling 96 off just 115 balls was the lone star on a day when Sairaj Bahutule and Nilesh Kulkarni snared nine wickets between them. Gambhir’s knock included 11 fours and one six, but Ajay Jadeja and Akash Chopra were disappointments. Mumbai’s other hero of the day was Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, who collected five dismissals on a turning track. On a wearing pitch the spinners may dictate terms for the rest of the match and Sarandeep Singh will be called upon to restrict the much vaunted Mumbai batting lineup.
Scorecard Uttar Pradesh 233 for 3 (Prakash 134*, Yadav 72) v Punjab
The Uttar Pradesh openers sent Punjab on a leather hunt with R.Prakash stroking an unbeaten century and Jyoti Yadav, the captain, supporting him with a fine 72. Prakash smashed 13 fours and one six and the 197 runs opening stand ensured a solid base which UP could build on. The Punjab bowlers were given some rough treatment and if not for the spinners’ economical spells, UP would have rattled up a bigger total. Three wickets fell towards the close of play and the Punjab spinners ensured that the game did not run away.
ScorecardTamil Nadu 115 for 5 lead Rajasthan 97 (Ramkumar 4-41) by 18 runs
For Somasetty Suresh – captain of Tamil Nadu – it was a day of extremes. He won the toss and gave his bowlers first use of a hard pitch that had a smattering of green and was later out for a first-ball duck. But his bowlers put Tamil Nadu in a commanding position when Rajasthan were skittled out for a meagre 97. L. Balaji had a splendid day (3 for 26) and Ramkumar (4 for 41) continued where he had left off against Karnataka – 10 for 104 in the match. The runs were completely dried up by some accurate bowling and Rajasthan may have to play catch-up cricket from now on. The Tamil Nadu batsmen also found the going tough with only S.Badrinath leading the way with a gritty 43. On a bowler-friendly pitch where a fifty will be priceless, Tamil Nadu finished the first day with the loss of only five wickets.
Scorecard Railways 243 for 8 (Ananthapadmanabhan 4-34) v Kerala
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the top three Railways batsmen failed to capitalise on good starts. All three gave it away in the forties and Ananthapadmanabhan’s wiles were too hot for the middle order to handle. Sanjay Bangar spent nearly four hours in the middle for his 45 while Tejindar Pal Singh lightened up the proceedings with a quickfire 40. Shreyas Khandolkar remained unbeaten with a patient 42 and Railways will hope the tail wags as long as it can tomorrow. After the flogging they received against the Punjab batsmen, the Kerala bowlers had a very good day and will hope their batsmen take the advantage.
ScorecardKarnataka 126 for 0 (Rowland 57*, Arunkumar 50*) v Bengal
Heavy overnight rain delayed the start of play and only 46 overs were bowled on the first day of the second round match at Mandya. Both the Karnataka openers, J. Arunkumar and Barrington Rowland, notched up half-centuries and set the platform for a big first-innings total. Bengal, who had lost their previous match against Rajasthan, found the going very tough and none of the six bowlers that were used tasted any success. Karnataka too suffered a loss in their first match, but the bright start augurs well for a fruitful campaign.
ScorecardGujarat 32 for 2 trail Assam 180 (Saravanan 58, Majumdar 5-47) by 148 runs
Bowling his right-arm medium-pace with great control, Hitesh Majumdar ripped through Assam’s middle and lower order to help bowl them out for just 180 in 65.5 overs on the first day at Guwahati. Assam’s batsmen just could not get a partnership going, and the only two batsmen to cross 50 – Subhrajit Saikia with 56 and Vasant Saravanan with 58 – stayed together for just 39 runs. After Saikia’s dismissal – the fourth wicket with the score on 103 – batsmen proceeded regularly to and from the pavilion. Their bowlers, however, succeeded to some extent to getting their side back into the game. As many as six of them turned their arm over before stumps, and Gautam Dutta snapped up two of them. What Assam really needed on the day, however, was the type of batting resilience that Gujarat’s Akash Christian, who made an unbeaten 15 off 83 balls, displayed.
ScorecardAndhra 13 for 1 trail Baroda 216 (Gaekwad 68, Verma 3-38) by 203 runs
The Baroda batsmen enacted a script similar to the first day against Mumbai last week. They were dismissed for 216 with only S.Gaekwad sticking around for a patient 68. Nayan Mongia too contributed but gave it away once he had made 31. Andhra were rewarded for some disciplined bowling with Kalyan Krishna and Vikram Verma picking up three wickets each. Baroda can ill afford losing two matches on the trot, but their batsmen surendered the initiative on the very first day.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Wisden Cricinfo.

Chittagong 219 for 8 (Masumud 65, Faisal 64) beat Rajshahi 218 (Mashud 56*) by 2 runs
Scorecard
Sabbir Khan, an offspinner, recorded the first hat-trick of the 50-over domestic competition as Chittagong completed an eight-wicket victory over Rajshahi at the Comilla Stadium. Chittagong become the only team to emerge victorious in both forms of the Mirzapore Tea Fifth National Cricket League.Sabbir achieved the milestone after dismissing the last three batsmen – Rezwanul Islam, Mohammad Shahzada and Saifullah Khan. The mop-up operation restricted Rajshahi to 218 and Sabbir finished with 4 for 33. Earlier, Khalid Mashud, the Rajshahi captain, had hit an unbeaten 56 to take them to a respectable 218.In reply, Faisal Hossain and Masumud Dowla slammed half-centuries as Chittagong reached the target with three balls to spare in a nail-biting finish. Masumud, the opener, top-scored with a steady 65 – containing three fours – while Faisal continued his rich vein of form with a 93-ball 64. Faisal’s knock contained two sixes and three fours. Barisal 144 for 9 beat Dhaka 140 by 1 wicket
ScorecardIrresponsible batting cost Dhaka dear, as Barisal scraped home by one wicket at the Dhanmondi Stadium in Dhaka. They were bundled out for 140 in 43 overs after being put in to bat in the morning.Yet, they fought till the death in defence of a paltry score, until the penultimate over when Tariqul Islam decisively swung the game Barisal’s way. Needing 12 runs from the last two overs Tariqul scored 10 out of the 11 runs conceded by Fahim Muntasir, the offspinner, in the 49th over. He struck two magnificent boundaries to tie the scores before Mustadir Litu, who made a valuable 26, finished the match in style with a boundary through point.Kamal Ahmed top-scored for Barisal with 34 off 69 balls while Rashedur Rahman made 28. Earlier Anisur Rahman, the Barisal captain, had done the early damage with his left-arm medium pace, accounting for three batsmen leaving Dhaka tottering at 22 for 4. Naimur Rahman’s gritty 43 began the fightback, but a misunderstanding with Niamur Rashid resulted in him being run out, and the rest crumbled without much resistance. Sylhet 189 for 7 (Nasirul Alam 50*) beat Khulna 88 by 101 runs
Scorecard
Khulna were knocked out for 88 while chasing Sylhet’s total of 189 at the Sylhet stadium. Sanjid Sami was the wrecker-in-chief with 4 for 22. He was supported by Mohammad Rana, who took 3 for 36 as Khulna were blown away.Earlier, Sylhet put on a good batting performance with Nasirul Alam anchoring the innings with an unbeaten half-century.

Brett Lee has been included in the Australian squad of 12 for the Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne. After proving he had overcome an abdominal injury, Lee was called up to replace Jason Gillespie, who has a groin strain.”Brett is an established Test player and has demonstrated that he is back to full fitness following injury,” said Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors. “The two Pura Cup matches he now has under his belt have been ideal preparation for his comeback, and we were encouraged by his recent form against Tasmania in Sydney.”Brett always adds some zest to the attack and will be supported by our other bowlers who we felt, despite the loss, served the side well in Adelaide.”Nathan Bracken was retained in the team despite being 12th man in Adelaide, which meant that there was no room for Matthew Nicholson, who was the pick of the fast bowlers in the match between India and Australia A which ended in a tame draw at Hobart yesterday. Australia is likely to play three fast bowlers and Stuart MacGill, the legspinner, at the MCG, with either Bracken or Brad Williams likely to carry the drinks.But there has also been speculation that the home side could go into the must-win Test with five bowlers, meaning Simon Katich could miss out. Australia needs to win the final two Tests if it is to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Squad 1 Steve Waugh (capt), 2 Justin Langer, 3 Matthew Hayden, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Damien Martyn, 6 Simon Katich, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Andy Bichel, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Stuart MacGill, 12 Brad Williams.

Cricket Scotland will have its funding from the England & Wales Cricket Board phased out over the next two years as the ECB desperately looks to cut costs. The grant, which was £105,000 in 2003, will reduce to £70,000 this year, £35,000 in 2005 and nothing thereafter."The situation is unfortunate," said Euan McIntyre, operations director of Cricket Scotland. “We will simply have to identify alternative funding sources to address this shortfall.”It has been a bad month for Cricket Scotland. At the end of January it lost its chief executive when Gwynne Jones suddenly resigned for "personal reasons". He has yet to be replaced.The news signals the start of some serious belt tightening within the ECB. Already penalised for refusing to play in Harare during last year’s World Cup, it is thought that if it refuses to tour Zimbabwe in October it faces further financial penalties. There is also the possibility that the ICC Champions Trophy, due to be played in September, could be moved elsewhere.

Central Districts 108 for 7 (Taylor 56) beat Auckland 107 by 3 wickets with 19.5 overs to spare
ScorecardCentral Districts qualified for the final of the State Shield championship, New Zealand’s domestic one-day tournament, when they beat Auckland by three wickets in the rescheduled semi-final at New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park.The match was postponed from yesterday after rain had made play impossible. It seemed the weather was going to thwart play again but the skies cleared, and a helicopter was brought in to help dry the ground, allowing a 40-over match to be played.However, the amount of time that the pitch had been under covers had its effect. Auckland were asked to bat first, and they struggled to 107 all out as the ball swung and seamed around a great deal. Central Districts had a tough time as well, but finally managed to get to their target despite losing a flurry of wickets towards the end.Auckland got off to a miserable start, losing their first four wickets for 22. Their lower order fought spiritedly, but were done in by some outstanding fielding by Central Districts, as four of the last five wickets fell to run-outs. Michael Mason and Lance Hamilton were the pick of the Central Districts bowlers, each returning figures of 2 for 14.When Central Districts batted, Ross Taylor, the 19-year-old batsman, made the difference with a wonderfully aggressive 56, scored off just 45 balls. His first scoring shot was a six, and then he struck two more, off successive deliveries, to post his half-century. He was out when five runs were needed for victory, but the steady hand of Glen Sulzberger was sufficient to ensure the win with 19.5 overs to spare.The one encouraging sign for Auckland, and for New Zealand, was the sight of Andre Adams showing some of his familiar aggression. He dismissed Taylor and Jarrod Englefield off consecutive balls and ended with figures of 2 for 16 from 4.1 overs.Central Districts will play Canterbury, who topped the points table in the league games, in Friday’s final at Christchurch’s Jade Stadium. Friday is New Zealand’s national holiday, known as Waitangi Day, the day the country’s founding document was signed in 1840.

ScorecardThe first day of the second Test at Bulawayo was abandoned without a ball being bowled after heavy overnight rain which left the city awash. Although the sun was out early, more than four inches of rain fell in the previous 24 hours and despite the pitch and outfield being well covered, the ground was sodden. Four inspections – all cursory – confirmed that play was impossible.There were rumours that the Zimbabwe Cricket Union was trying to reschedule the match to start tomorrow, and so hopefully allow the game to run for the full five days. But that would have needed the sanction of the International Cricket Council, and there were no signs that any formal request had been made.The delay will give Heath Streak and Stuart Carlisle more time to try to shake off their injuries. Streak has back spasms but is likely to play, Carlisle has a quadricep strain and is considered an unlikely starter.Play is due to start tomorrow at 9.30am (0730GMT), but this is February in Zimbabwe, and as such more rain is a distinct possibility. Perhaps those responsible for scheduling should take more notice of local weather when allocating matches.Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Dion Ebrahim, 2 Trevor Gripper, 3 Grant Flower, 4 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 5 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 6 Sean Ervine, 7 Gavin Ewing, 8 Heath Streak (capt), 9 Raymond Price, 10 Douglas Hondo, 11 Blessing Mahwire.Bangladesh 1 Hannan Sarker, 2 Shahriar Hossain, 3 Habibul Bashar (capt), 4 Rajin Saleh, 5 Mohammad Ashraful, 6 Mushfiqur Rahman, 7 Manjarul Islam Rana, 8 Khaled Mashud (wk), 9 Mohammad Rafique, 10 Tapash Baisya, 11 Alamgir Kabir.

Surrey’s season is in freefall on the field, and now they will have to review their security arrangements after vandals broke into The Oval on Thursday night and dug up a section of the outfield. Their actions, compounded by heavy overnight rain and a broken super-sopper, meant that little play was possible on the second day of the Championship match against Middlesex.The vandals, who are believed to have climbed the perimeter wall to gain access, used a spade to dig a hole about ten feet long by one foot wide just behind the popping creases at the Vauxhall End of the ground. Bill Gordon, the groundsman, discovered the damage early on Friday and used turf from outside the boundary to effect repairs.The Oval stages several one-day internationals this summer on top of the Test against West Indies, and as a result of the incident, security is being stepped up. Until now, the only guards have been by the main entrance at the Hobbs Gate, but dogs will now be brought in to protect the playing area.

Wondrous Oblivion (PG) – Starring: Leonie Elliot, Delroy Lindo, Sam Smith, Stanley Townsend, Emily Woof. Directed by: Paul Morrison

In London in 1960, David Wiseman (Smith) is an 11-year-old cricket fanatic who knows all the stats, has all the gear, and spends his spare time fantasising about the game. He remains “wondrously oblivious” to his lack of talent with bat or ball. David is befriended by his new Jamaican neighbours, who have set up a cricket net in their back garden. Ten year-old Judy (Elliot) and her father Dennis (Lindo) take pity on David and teach him the basics.However, while David and his mother grow closer to their neighbours, the other residents in the street make life increasingly difficult for them. What unfolds is a captivating drama that addresses friendship, racism, and missed youth. The movie uses cricket as a backdrop to deal with these issues.West Indian cricket has a significant presence in the film. Sir Garry Sobers and Sir Frank Worrell are portrayed in the film by actors and former allrounder Phil Simmons worked as an adviser to coach his cast.The standout performance is by Delroy who inspires the audience with his gentle nature and sincerity from start to finish.Wondrous Oblivion is challenging, enjoyable, and well worth seeing.Cinema locationsSydney/NSW Hoyts GU George St, Hoyts Broadway, Cinema Paris, Cremorne Orpheum, Randwick Ritz, Roseville Cinema, Hoyts Chatswood Westfield, GU Burwood, GU Macquarie, GU Castle Hill, GU Tower Cinemas Newcastle, Bowral, GU WollongongMelbourne/Victoria Dendy Kino, Rivoli, Classic Elsternwick, Dendy Palace Brighton, Palace Balwyn, Village Jam Factory, Village Southland Europa, Village Knox Europa, Waurn Ponds, Hoyts Chatswood, Sun Pics Yarraville, Belgrave CameoBrisbane/Queensland BCC Indooroopilly, BCC Garden City, BCC Chermside, Hoyts Regent, Balmoral Cineplex, Graceville Twin, BCC Maroochydore, BCC Pacific Fair, Gold Coast Arts CentreAdelaide Nova Eastend, Trak, GU MarionPerth Astor, Luna Essex, Windsor, GU InnalooCanberra GU Manuka

Andrew Strauss made a dream start with the bat for England in the Test series against New Zealand, and he will now have a chance to show what he can do in the middle order in one-day cricket, as England hope to finally get their NatWest Series underway against West Indies at Trent Bridge tomorrow.After a practice session at Trent Bridge this afternoon, Strauss, who scored a century on his Test debut at Lord’s, said he and the side were raring to get going: “There’s a good feeling in the camp, we’re excited and ready to go,” he said. “It’s going to be a very evenly matched series.”With Michael Vaughan likely to remain as Marcus Trescothick’s opening partner in the one-dayers, Strauss will have to adapt quickly if he is to fill to role played for so many years by Graham Thorpe, of providing stability in the middle order.”Experience counts for a hell of a lot in one-day cricket and the more you get into situations you haven’t encountered before the more you learn from it and develop your game,” said Strauss. “I feel comfortable with the role I’m trying to play for England. My role is going to be to try and bat for long periods – for the majority of the innings if possible.”Strauss continued, “When you are batting in the middle order in a one-day side then it is your responsibility to be there at the end and see the guys home. You don’t want to leave it to the guys at eight nine and 10.”