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Jimmy Taylor struck his second century inside six days to guide Winchester KS to the top of the Southern Electric Southern Premier League Division 3 table.Taylor, who stroked WKS into the regional ECB Club Championship semi-final with an undefeated hundred at Andover last Sunday, hit 102 to take his side to a seven-wicket win at Hook & Newnham Basics.He hit a six and 12 fours as Winchester coasted past Hook’s 219 (Kaminski 40).Deposed leaders Havant kept their unbeaten record intact when they scrambled a dramatic last-ball win over Gosport Borough.Lee Wateridge struck an unbeaten 100 and John Adams a slick 51 not out as Gosport reached 217-2.Despite Simon Hole’s half-century, Havant didn’t appear to have a prayer at 151-8, but Ollie Jones (55) and Graham Benton (33) produced an unbroken ninth wicket stand of 67 to give Havant victory off the final ball.Michael Heffernan struck a best-yet 98 not out as Alton remained in touch at the top with a six-wicket win over Lymington II.A half-century from Graham Barrett helped St Cross Symondians win by four wickets at Waterlooville, while Jamie Scott weighed in with 5-12 as Portsmouth II routed Paultons for 88.Left-arm spinner John Dolman took 5-28 in New Milton’s thumping 169-run victory over struggling Leckford.Rowledge won by 47 runs at United Services – but eight players had wallets and mobile phones stolen as thieves ransacked the visitors changing rooms for the econd consecutive week at Burnaby Road.Purbrook are gradually picking themselves up after an undistinguished start. The comfortably beat Flamingos, with Colin Pay and Mike Hennessy each notching half-centuries.Flamingos, who finished at 150-8, again batted poorly, with Ian Hitchings (46 not out) sparing their blushes in the closing stages.John Harris top scored with 47 and Sandeep Halder grabbed three early wickets as Hursley Park inflicted a fourth successive defeat on Bashley (Rydal).

Somerset Sabres came back to earth with a jolt when they were soundly beaten by Warwickshire Bears on their return to action in the white ball game at The County Ground today.Saturday’s “Man of the Match” winner Keith Parsons said after the game “We were very disappointed at the result today. We needed to win to be certain of staying up in the top flight. Now we have put more pressure on ourselves for the lst game against Northants here on September 16th.”The local hero went on,”It was hard work batting out there this morning, and we thought that 190 was enough, but as it turned out it was an awful lot short.”Somerset skipper Jamie Cox said,” I thought that 190 was a good score on the wicket this morning, but as the day went on it obviously was’nt.” He went on,”to be honest we haven’t played consistently well enough this season to guarantee that we stay up.”

A season’s best 98 from Vince Wells, Leicestershire captain could notprevent a draw against Somerset in the County Championship DivisionOne match at Taunton. 140 overs were lost to weather on the first twodays, thereby ensuring that the game would end in a draw – the seventhon this ground in as many games this season.Resuming on the final day at 233 for 4, Leicestershire ended theirinnings at 470 all out in 122.2 overs. The fifth wicket stand betweenWells and Aftab Habib (72) produced 141 when Habib was out to JasonKerr. Then Wells got out to Kerr, two runs short of his century.Two balls later Philip DeFreitas (0) got an inside edge to Kerr andwas out caught behind. Jon Dakin (16) and Neil Burns (57) batted tilllunch. Finally Anil Kumble (35) and Burns put on a ninth wicketpartnership of 84 which enabled Leicestershire to obtain maximumbatting points before they departed in quick succession. Kerr wasSomerset’s successful bowler taking 4 for 97 in 23 overs.With 59 runs behind and 43 overs to see out, Somerset lost MarkLathwell (7) and Turner (3) and were 21 for 2. Then Jamie Cox (40 notout) and Peter Bowler (27 not out) took the score to 90 for 2 in 27overs when the game was called off.The 12 points gained by Somerset virtually assured them of FirstDivision status next season, while Leicestershire’s 11 elevates themto third position – seven points in front of Yorkshire who have a gamein hand.

Canada opened up its 2001 ICC Trophy campaign with an impressive nine-wicket victory over Singapore at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club today.The host side made early inroads into the Singapore top order after being asked to field first, removing captain Johann Peiris (3) and Narayanan Balasubbramanian (0) from consecutive balls in the second over.When young middle order batsman Josh Dearing (77) was joined at the crease by Zubin Schroff (27) with the score at 3/48 in the nineteenth over, it looked as though a short contest was on the cards. However the pair put together a partnership of increasing confidence and momentum, adding 67 off 108 deliveries.It took a quicker delivery from tidy left arm orthodox spinner Barry Seebaran (2/24 from ten overs) to break the stand, inducing an edge to wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai to dismiss Schroff.Dearing, the dominant scorer of the innings, reached his half-century on his maiden ICC Trophy appearance from 71 balls, a display which by that stage had already included three fours and two wonderful sixes down the ground. With the total at 132, he became the sixth Singapore batsman to be removed, by a skidding ball from fast medium bowler Sanjay Thuraisingham (2/20 off ten overs).His departure signalled the beginning of the end for the Singaporeans, with the final seven wickets falling for just 54 runs to bring an end to the innings at 169, three deliveries short of their full allotment.Thuraisingham, who showed an ability to generate handy pace despite a short stature and stocky build, and Seebaran were the most effective Canadian bowlers.Two players with influence from major cricketing countries were the other wicket-takers, with Australian John Davison and New Zealander Ian Billcliff, who took a sensational return catch to dismiss Sandeep Seth (5), snaring one apiece.A light sprinkling of rain during the lunch break briefly threatened to ruin what had been a wonderfully warm but humid day up until that point, but play resumed on time with no adjustments required.Openers Nicholas Degroot and Ishwar Maraj set about the target with real intent, particularly the left-handed Maraj who attacked with unorthodox menace, playing some effective lofted horizontal bat shots down the ground.The pair racked up an even hundred in just 19 overs together before Dearing wrecked Maraj’s castle with his score on 58, an innings which spanned just 56 balls and included eight boundaries.Degroot immediately boosted his scoring rate, and in tandem with Muneeb Diwan (22), wiped off the remaining 70 runs smartly to ensure an efficient win with 94 balls to spare.Degroot finished up with a polished 82 off 108 balls including nine fours, an innings which contained as many rasping drives as delicate late cuts to toy with the Singapore field.

New South Wales coach Steve Rixon lauded Michael Bevan as the best cricketer he’s seen in a decade after the brilliant left hander steered the state to an improbable draw in the Pura Cup match against Western Australia here in Sydney today.”From what I’ve seen of Michael Bevan, he’s arguably the best I’ve seen in the past ten years,” said Rixon, after the former Test batsman’s double century had orchestrated the Blues’ escape from a disastrous 363-run first innings deficit.”He’s got a full range of shots, and he’s one of the few guys who can hit the full 360 degrees.”(Our guys) showed a lot of resolve and character and that’s the sort of thing that will get you into a ‘Shield’ final.”It was lavish praise, but praise hard to refute, after the tenacious Bevan (203*) produced the quintessential version of a captain’s innings to guide the Blues to a second innings score of 4/452 by the time that stumps were drawn half an hour before the scheduled close.It wasn’t only that he batted through the entirety of the fourth day, registered his equal highest first-class score, or became the greatest run scorer in New South Wales’ first-class history. Also stunning was his capacity to continue undisturbed by the bowlers for 562 minutes and forge significant partnerships today with teammates Mark Higgs (80) and Brad Haddin (52*).He had started the day on a score of 78, and with the Blues still facing potential ruin at a total of 3/188.But he was ultra-methodical, combining with Higgs in a stand of 181 runs that became the state’s highest for the fourth wicket against Western Australia at the SCG and then with Haddin in another of 85 at the end of the day.He had dodged bullets yesterday, as wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell spilt a chance with his score at 8 and as a dubious lbw decision went his way on 19. But, by the end of today, very little was left to detract from his marathon performance.”I felt I hit the ball well,” said Bevan after play.”I was under a bit of pressure out there and it was hard work, (but) it was satisfying.”When it’s that big a task, you’ve just got to say to yourself ‘alright, let’s get through this session’ and maybe set some personal goals.”And he was also quick to pay credit to his teammates.”(Greg) Mail and Higgs – they did the hard yards as well. They were good performances; it was good from their perspective as well.”Higgs and Bevan were eventually parted at the outset of the day’s final session, when the former top edged a mistimed sweep at Brad Hogg (2/102) to present Simon Katich with a catch at mid on.But splitting the partnership failed to dampen Bevan’s efforts or his passage into the record books.It was at 184 that the biggest of the milestones arrived – Alan Kippax’s mantle as New South Wales’ most prolific scorer of first-class runs seamlessly passing to the 31-year-old. On 203, he also equalled his own previous first-class best.Western Australian captain Katich, for his part, tried nine of his players at the bowling crease in a bid to shift his rival skipper – various part timers utilised and opening batsmen Mike Hussey (0/6) and Scott Meuleman (0/1) even becoming closing bowlers.But all of them found Bevan’s bat and a true pitch impossible barriers to overcome.Front line bowlers Brad Williams (1/73), Jo Angel (0/45) and Matthew Nicholson (0/61) also went without much in the way of luck at various stages of the innings as their team was forced to content itself with third – instead of second – place on the Pura Cup table.

The Zimbabwean tourists began their first-class programme with an aggressive bowling performance against Canterbury at Jade Stadium today. Canterbury closed on 185 for 4 in 90 overs, making for a slow, inconclusive start.Stand in skipper Guy Whittall put the home side in after Heath Streak withdrew ill before the start. What always promised to be a long day’s fielding practice began with Robbie Frew and season debutant, Harley James seeing off the new ball, surprisingly taken by 33 year old Zimbabwe newcomer, Angus Mackay.When James, who hit a 50 on his previous first class outing against the same opposition 2 seasons ago, eventually fell, 75 had been added in slow, but steady fashion. Henry Olonga, much the fastest of the Zimbabwean bowlers, had him lbw, during a lively spell, following an erratic mixture of bouncers and no balls.At lunch, on 78-1 Canterbury’s internationals still had not been seen. Astle, whom the national selectors had persuaded Canterbury to play, did not reach the crease until 48 minutes from the close, while Gary Stead, unwanted by his country, batted at six rather than the opening position where he has been so successful this season. Canterbury coach, Garry MacDonald, used his authority to play Stead in the best position for the team. Despite this, it was odd that Hamish Barton and Marcel McKenzie, both playing for their cricketing lives, were left without a senior partner.Leg spinner Brian Murphy bowled a long containing spell, complimented by Mackay’s endless stream of short pitchers from the Hadlee Stand end, which gave Barton a bit of a work over. Frew had gone not long after a rain delayed resumption, tamely giving left armer Bryan Strang a return catch after a neat 44.Barton batted for 150 balls, hitting nine fours and 12 singles in his 48. Both he and McKenzie, after adding 71 for the third wicket in 34 overs before and after tea, fell to the new ball, taken by the fiery Olonga and steady Strang. Olonga found the edge with his extra pace with the very first delivery after Whittall took the cherry, right on 80 overs. McKenzie fell on the same score.Astle and Stead batted out the day, finally adding some class to what had been a grind for the meagre crowd, enlivened only by the Zimbabwean zest of Olonga and Mackay.

Baroda translated their overwhelming superiority over Bihar into victory by an innings and 114 runs with a day to spare in their Group B match of the Ranji Trophy Super League at the IPCL sports complex ground in Baroda on Monday.An innings victory for the home team was always on the cards after Bihar had had a bad day at the office on the second day. After following on 380 runs behind, Bihar who resumed at 74 for three were all out for 266 on Monday.There was never much chance of Bihar saving the game but some of their batsmen did make an attempt. Opener Nikhilesh Ranjan hit a gallant 72. He faced 172 balls and hit nine fours. He and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (45) added 84 runs for the fourth wicket off 22 overs. Then Mihir Diwakar, coming in at No 7, hit a breezy 67. He faced just 53 balls and hit four fours and six sixes. But the rest of the batsmen were no match for Zaheer Khan who took five for 67 to finish with match figures of ten for 110.

ScorecardFile photo – Dinesh Karthik’s unbeaten 76 helped Tamil Nadu ride a middle-order collapse against Mumbai•Sivaraman Kitta

Left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar’s four-wicket haul helped Mumbai take the honours on the opening day of their Group B Ranji Trophy fixture against Tamil Nadu in Mumbai. Dabholkar took 4 for 67 as Tamil Nadu, who were sent in to bat, ended the day at 249 for 6, with Dinesh Karthik unbeaten on 76.With regular captain Abhinav Mukund ruled out before the start due to a stomach bug, Tamil Nadu were driven early on by Baba Aparajith who made 62. Aparajith added 84 for the second wicket with Kaushik Gandhi (31) to steady the innings after M Vijay’s return to first-class cricket, following his recovery from a hamstring injury, yielded all of 8 runs.Dabholkar, who was left out of the game against Punjab, then triggered a middle-order meltdown. He dismissed Gandhi, Aparajith and stand-in captain Baba Indrajith (0) in the space of three runs – the last two batsmen falling off consecutive deliveries – as Tamil Nadu slipped to 107 for 4 in the post-lunch session.Karthik held his own to bring up his first half-century of the season. He found an able ally in J Kousik (39) as the duo stitched together a 59-run stand for the sixth wicket. Their partnership was broken by Dabholkar a few overs before the second new ball was due.Karthik, who hit eight fours and a six in his knock, and Malolan Rangarajan then batted out 13.2 overs without further damage.

Punjab defeated Bengal by eight wickets in the CricInfo Trophy women’sNational Cricket Championship at the JDSA Ground in Jorhat on Tuesday.Punjab, powered by a fine innings of 98 not out in 102 balls byGulshan, reached the victory target of 170 in 35.3 overs. ThoughGulshan lost Anjuman Bassi (8) at 31 in the seventh over, she sealedthe match for Punjab with a 119-run second wicket stand in 29 overswith Gurdeep Kaur (24). Then Anjali Sharma (8) joined Gulshan to guidePunjab home in the 36th over.Earlier, electing to bat, Bengal openers Anaya Mitra (11) and SeemaBhowmick (13) put on 28 runs in eight overs. But then they lost somequick wickets and were 56 for 3 in 19.3 overs. However ChandrabatiPall (36) and Rumeli Dhar (43) added 73 runs in 12.5 overs for thefourth wicket. Jhulan Goswami (19) then joined Chandrabati in a fifthwicket partnership worth 31 runs in 5.4 overs. But after that, therewas little substance in the Bengal innings and they were all out for169 in 45.2 overs.

ScorecardFile photo – Naszmul Hossain Shanto set up Bangladesh’s chase with 55 off 91 balls.•BCB

Bangladesh Under-19s edged South Africa Under-19s by one wicket in the seventh and final Youth ODI in Chittagong. The win completed a comprehensive 6-1 series win for Bangladesh.The hosts needed 20 runs from the last 11 balls when last batsman Saleh Ahmed arrived at the crease to join Mohammad Saifuddin. The pair took six off the penultimate over before Saifuddin cracked three fours in the final over bowled by Conor McKerr to ensure the win.Earlier captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mehedi Hasan struck fifties to keep up with the 233-run chase. For South Africa, Wiaan Mulder and Dayyaan Galiem took two wickets each.Having opted to bat, the visitors made 232-6 in 50 overs. Galiem struck 53 off 49 balls including seven fours while Dean Foxcroft made 49 off 92 balls. Mohammad Safiuddin took two wickets while there was one each for Nahid Hasan, Kazi Anik, Sanjit Saha and Nazmul.Bangladesh Under-19s had secured the series after winning the fifth ODI, taking an unassailable 4-1 lead.