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A magnificent innings of 177 from Michael Vaughan has enabled England to carry the fight to Australia on the first day of the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval

Claire Killeen21-Nov-2002A magnificent innings of 177 from Michael Vaughan has enabled England to carry the fight to Australia on the first day of the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval. After Nasser Hussain won the toss, England ended the day on 295 for four when Vaughan was caught at slip off Andy Bichel in the final over. Vaughan shared in an opening partnership of 88 with Marcus Trescothick (35) and added 140 with Hussain (47).Vaughan continued to show the form which has put the 28-year-old second behind Sachin Tendulkar on the run scorers’ list for the calendar year 2002. He outshone his England team-mates and outwitted the Australian bowlers, showing the way for other players and teams to play and beat Australia.The Yorkshire opener had some help from Australia. Their usually reliable fielders dropped six catches on what proved to be a beautiful batting track with true bounce. But Vaughan’s amazing innings included an array of shots to all parts of the ground.Trescothick and Vaughan got England off to a great start with a run rate of over three an over. They share a similar approach to the game to that of Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, and Vaughan played much like Hayden did in the opening Test at Brisbane.Each was given a life in the first session. Three balls after smashing Bichel (1/67) for six, Vaughan sliced to Langer at gully where he appeared to take a great catch. Vaughan stood his ground and the matter was referred to third umpire Steve Davis. As the evidence was inconclusive, he gave Vaughan the benefit of the doubt. The decision could have changed the course of the game, with Vaughan going on to make his best score outside England.Trescothick then hit the ball hard to gully, where Hayden couldn’t hold on, allowing the ball to go through to the boundary. Bichel later claimed a return catch as Trescothick drove, and once again the third umpire was consulted. Replays clearly showed the ball bouncing before it reached Bichel and Trescothick was ruled not out.Shane Warne was brought into the attack earlier than expected, and the leg-spinner went for nine in his first over. It was Glenn McGrath made the much-needed breakthrough, bowling Trescothick off the bottom edge as the opener’s luck ran out.Robert Key, playing in place of the injured John Crawley, was promoted to number three because Mark Butcher was suffering from a migraine. Key and Vaughan took England to lunch at 1/94, but Key had made just one when he drove Warne into the shin of Ricky Ponting who caught the ball at the third attempt. Key stood his ground but the umpires confirmed the bad news.This brought skipper Hussain to the crease and he took a back seat, enjoying the Vaughan show. The Yorkshire opener brought up his fifth century in nine Tests with a push to mid off. It was his sixth Test hundred in all, and included two sixes and 12 fours. In 12 matches he has made just under 1200 runs.Vaughan and Hussain took England to tea on 2/201. The Australians made it harder for themselves again in the second session, dropping two catches and missing the chance of a run out.Needing a breakthrough, Steve Waugh decided to bowl himself, but after five overs the skipper had some discomfort in his shoulder and returned the ball to Jason Gillespie, who still appeared troubled by his calf injury. When Vaughan ducked into a short ball he was hit on the shoulder, dropping his bat and crouching on the ground in pain.Hussain, tied down as he approached 50, gave Warne his second wicket when he was caught behind off the bottom edge on 47, trying to cut. Butcher, showing no effects from his migraine, took boundaries with his first two scoring shots and with Vaughan continued to punish the toiling bowlers.It was a clever bowling change that finally undid Vaughan, after Gillespie and McGrath had failed to break through with the new ball. Waugh turned to Bichel for the last over of the day, and Vaughan pushed defensively at the Queenslander’s third ball, which carried to Warne at first slip.England played some great cricket today, but they also had a lot of luck. Day two should be a cracker with a new batsman at the crease and Australia hungry for more wickets. England will need to bat positively, with Australia’s batsmen eager for their turn on a beautiful wicket.

According to Sport Witness, West Ham United and Aston Villa have both ‘asked for information’ in enquiries to sign BSC Young Boys defender Mohamed Ali Camara.

The Lowdown: West Ham in defender chase…

David Moyes reportedly has three transfer priorities for West Ham this summer as he aims to bolster key positions ahead of what is set to be a busy 2021/2022 campaign.

A permanent deal for 20/21 loan star Jesse Lingard and a new star striker are said to be at the forefront of his mind, but Moyes is also eyeing a new centre-back to reinforce his back four (Claret & Hugh).

Fabian Balbuena is set to leave the club when his contract expires June 30 and West Ham will be on the look out for a replacement.

The Latest: West Ham make enquiry to sign Camara…

As per Sport Witness, West Ham have now ‘asked for information’ in an enquiry to sign BSC Young Boys powerhouse Camara alongside Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

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The 6 foot 3 defender was a colossal presence for Young Boys, making 39 appearances in all competitions and leading them to a Swiss league title.

Indeed, his form hasn’t gone unnoticed in England either as both the Hammers and Villa eye a move.

Despite Camara just putting pen to paper on a contract extension last month, a source has still told Sport Witness that Young Boys will allow the player to leave if they receive a convincing enough offer.

Moyes and West Ham have probed in regards to Camara but it remains to be seen whether they take it further.

The Verdict: Good option?

Enjoying a highly impressive season at the heart of Young Boys’ defence, Camara could come as a good candidate to strengthen West Ham’s centre-back options.

It’s unclear how much the Swiss giants would demand for Camara, but the five-cap Guinea international may be attract plenty of interest due to his great year at the Wankdorf Stadium.

There is still plenty of time left in the summer market to assess options and we believe the 23-year-old should definitely be in the conversation, at the very least.

In other news: West Ham now frontrunners to sign ‘top class’ £115,000-per-week ace for Moyes, find out more here.

Paddy Kenny has made an enticing Newcastle United claim involving former manager Rafa Benitez.

The Lowdown: Benitez to Everton?

As per The Times, Benitez has held further talks with Everton over the vacant manager’s job left by Carlo Ancelotti, and remains in pole position to become their next coach.

However, Liam Kennedy, who has been following the Magpies takeover saga closely, has also claimed that Benitez is wanted by the potential owners-in-waiting to return to St. James’ Park, as he helped bring them to the table in the first place.

The Latest: Kenny on Benitez

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny, who is now a pundit after a fine career in English football as a goalkeeper, has claimed that Benitez should be holding out for a job in the North East instead of the Toffees, assuming that the proposed takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group can be pushed through:

“It wouldn’t be the right choice at all, for me.

“It makes more sense to hold out and go to Newcastle over Everton.

“If they do get a takeover, that club will go places because it’s a massive club with passionate fans.

“I’m sure he’d do well at Newcastle again and there wouldn’t be all this hoo-ha about the fans protesting.

“Why have that cloud over you when you’ve got the chance to go to somewhere like Newcastle?”

The Verdict: Hire Benitez

If the takeover bid does eventually go through, then there would be no better man to hire on Tyneside than Benitez.

Many members of the Toon Army have previously called for the Spaniard to come back, and so he would certainly be a popular appointment, and a man that they can rally and get behind.

Benitez also has a vast amount of experience in managing in the Premier League, with both Liverpool and Chelsea in addition to NUFC, and so he should have no problems in handling a likely dramatically increased transfer budget if the takeover was successful.

Nonetheless, if a deal with Everton does fall through, then the 61-year-old will still be available for Newcastle to hire.

In other news, find out what transfer boost Newcastle have been given in pursuit of this Premier League target here!

Tottenham midfielder Elliot Thorpe will leave the club in the summer, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Mason knows him well

Thorpe, who can play as a defensive, central or attacking midfielder, is yet to make a senior appearance for Spurs.

He’s been a regular for the club’s Under-23 side this season, though, making 18 appearances, scoring twice.

Interim manager Ryan Mason knows the 20-year-old well, coaching the youth team before his promotion following Jose Mourinho’s sacking.

The Latest: Hoffenheim and Leicester keen

Football Insider, who have been informed by a recruitment source, report that Bundesliga side Hoffenheim have joined Leicester City in the race to sign Thorpe over the coming months.

They claim that the midfielder will leave north London when his contract expires next month with Tottenham set to fail in their bid to agree on a contract extension.

Thorpe was training with the first team when Mourinho was in charge, but it seems as if his days at the club are now numbered.

The Verdict: Not ideal for Spurs

It seems as if the club wanted to keep Thorpe at the club, going off the reported contract extension offer, so the latest news could come as a blow to Spurs officials.

The fact he was called up to first-team training by Mourinho this season may show he has the ability to make it at the top level, and he doesn’t have a shortage of suitors.

Both Hoffenheim and Leicester could be smart destinations for the youngster. Several youngsters have left Premier League sides to gain valuable experience in the Bundesliga, such as Jadon Sancho.

Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has given youth a chance at the King Power, so it’ll be interesting to see where Thorpe decides to go.

In other news: Spurs eye Premier League forward as Harry Kane replacement, find out more here. 

A wonderful game of cricket at Hove ended in great tension as Sussex crept home by four wickets in the key game of the Frizzell County Championship

George Dobell11-Aug-2002A wonderful game of cricket at Hove ended in great tension as Sussex crept home by four wickets in the key game of the Frizzell County Championship.Robin Martin-Jenkin’s sensible 23 not out – with four boundaries – saw his side over the winning line after a mid-innings wobble had threatened to hand the game to top of the table Surrey.Earlier Murray Goodwin (100) and captain Chris Adams (62) looked to be guiding their side to a comfortable victory in a stand of 106, with Adams hitting Surrey’s new signing Mushtaq Ahmed out of the attack with three successive fours. But when they both fell in quick succession with about 50 still needed, it took some calm heads to steer Sussex to victory.Surrey stay top despite only taking three points from the game, but Sussex have moved into genuine title contention with 16 points and move into third place, though they have played a game more than some of their competitors.Hampshire skipper Will Kendall did his best to contrive a result in the game in Manchester, declaring his side’s innings on 122-8 after Shaun Udal was out for 24. That left Lancashire with a lead of 41, which they soon extended through Mark Chilton and Alec Swann. But the rain returned to bring about an early close and an almost inevitably drawn match. Lancashire take six points; Hampshire seven.In the second division game at Kidderminster, Worcestershire extended their overnight 253-4 to 336-5 before declaring. Hick finally went for 126, but the highly promising Gareth Batty struck a brisk 66 not out with nine fours and a couple of sixes to further bolster his side’s position.Set a nominal 377 to win, Notts started well, with Gallian and Welton posting 69 for the first wicket. But Alamgir Sheriyar struck twice to revive Worcestershire’ hopes before Usman Afzaal (91) and Paul Johnson (56 not out) steadied the ship with a stand of 117.In the end too much time had been lost to rain and the captains agreed to settle for a draw: Worcestershire take eight points to move them into the top three in the promotion race while Notts take seven points, though 0.75 has been deducted for a slow over rate.

Chris Gayle’s typically punishing 83 off 79 balls, followed by Ryan Hinds’ telling all-round performance of 68 and six wickets, led the West Indies `A’ team to victory over Gloucestershire yesterday

31-Jul-2002Chris Gayle’s typically punishing 83 off 79 balls, followed by Ryan Hinds’ telling all-round performance of 68 and six wickets, led the West Indies `A’ team to victory over Gloucestershire yesterday.The West Indies compiled 279 before they were all out with two balls of their 50 overs remaining and bowled the county team out for 235 in 45 overs to win on the last match of their England tour by 44 runs.Test opener Gayle struck a six and 12 fours to give the West Indians a powerful start after Daren Ganga batted on winning the toss.Ganga, caught at square-leg, and left-hander Devon Smith, taken at point, went cheaply.But Runako Morton (41 from 40 balls with seven fours) and the left-handed Hinds (68 off 86 balls with two sixes and five fours) took their cue from Gayle to revive the innings.After Gayle was dismissed by England international Jeremy Snape, Hinds and Dwayne Bravo (38 off 43 balls with three fours) added 82 and, even though the last six wickets went down for 38, the West Indies posted a challenging total.Gloucestershire started with two openers with West Indian connections: James Pearson, 18, who plays club cricket for Bristol West Indies and Tim Hancock, whose mother is Barbadian.But Pearson was bowled without scoring by the pacy Tino Best who also bowled Chris Taylor. The experienced Hancock fell to Jermaine Lawson for 27 before a fourth-wicket partnership of 111 between Matthew Windows and Snape renewed Gloucestershire’s hopes.As the required scoring rose to over eight an over, Windows and Snape fell within six runs of each other to Hinds, who added four more wickets as Gloucestershire subsided in spite of Alex Gidman’s run-a-ball 36 and bowling that gave up 12 wides and 11 no-balls.The West Indies ended the tour with five wins (over Ireland, British Universities, Sussex, Yorkshire and Gloucestershire) and two losses (to Sri Lanka and Kent) in the one-day matches.They had one win, one loss, one tie and three draws in the first-class matches.They fly to Toronto today for matches against Canada before returning home next week.

There’s a familiar pattern developing at the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League, with Havant and BAT Sports contesting pole position

Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo)23-Jun-2002There’s a familiar pattern developing at the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League, with Havant and BAT Sports contesting pole position.The two past Division 1 champions both won again – Havant recovering from early setbacks to beat Burridge by six wickets and BAT Sports skittling early season pacesetters Andover for 90 before claiming an 11th successive all-day win.Moeen Cheema (2-68) had Havant rocking at 39-3, in reply to an all-out Burridge total of 190, before Paul Gover (71 not out) and Andy Perry (69) turned the tide with a match-winning century partnership.Burridge, struggling themselves at 89-6 (Cheema 35), owed much to Jo Dixon (40) and Matt Godwin (37) for their eventual 190 all out.Andover’s golden start has begun to lose some of its early season gilt – Richard Dibden (5-21) and Dan Goldstraw (4-38) skittling a weakened town side for a disappointing 90 at London Road.Only Roger Miller (27) and in-form Lee Wateridge (21) made reasonable contributions as Australian wicket keeper Michael Watson snapped up the first three victims.Andover lurched from 64-3 to 90 all out, but then had BAT on the hop, with three wickets falling for just five runs after the defending champions had moved to 31 without loss.Dependable Damien Shirazi kept his cool, hitting a decisive 47 as BAT got home, somewhat unconvincing five-wicket winners.James Hibberd hit an undefeated 87 as Calmore’s match against Portsmouth at Loperwood Park petered out into a tame draw.But the ever improving Wiltshire all-rounder lacked any real support as Calmore closed on 177-8, well adrift of Portsmouth’s 226-9 off the full 66 overs.Portsmouth batted themselves into a strong position, with top order quartet Warren Swan (43), Geoff Pike (37), Lee Savident (32) and Matt Keech (30) all making their mark.Promising teenager Matt Metcalfe (4-46) and Allan Hurst (3-31) created inroads as Portsmouth slipped from 163-3 to 196-8 (Matt Scott 24), but a timely 24 by tailender Pete Hayward wrested the initiative from Calmore.Any prospect of a Calmore success effectively disappeared at 38-3, leaving Hibberd with the task of holding the innings together – one he performed admirably.Shaun Lilley’s undefeated 47, coupled with four-wicket hauls by Kevin Nash and John Whiting, ended Bashley-Rydal’s three-match losing sequence and set up a much needed victory over South Wilts at Lower Bemerton.They reduced South Wilts to 33-5 in the morning session, but lost six wickets chasing South Wilts’ eventual 165 all out before match winner Lilley steadied the visitors’ nerves.John Whiting (4-71) struck the first two blows, removing Paul Draper and top Premier run scorer Russell Rowe before Kevin Nash (4-34) nailed Tom Caines and Jamie Glasson in quick succession to leave South Wilts floundering at 22-4.When Nash had Jo Cranch caught behind at 33-5, it looked as though the Salisbury club might collapse completely.But Jon Nash (no relation) led a courageous fightback as South Wilts rallied from an equally desperate 67-7 to reach 151 before Whiting returned to dismiss South African Shaun Adam (31).The pair added 84, with Nash going on to hit a season’s best 79 before South Wilts, after a late flurry by Chris Steedon, were finally dismissed for 165.Bashley’s recent lean form with the bat suggested the victory chase would be anything but straightforward – and so it proved.Former Salisbury Wanderers medium-paceman Adam Smith (3-66), extracting considerable movement off the surface, had Bashley wobbling at 56-3 (Luke Ronchi (33) and tottering again at 101-5 after Chris Sketchley had been needlessly run out.Lilley, arguably the guilty party in the run out, spared his own blushes with an unbeaten 47 which, supported by Dale Middleton and skipper Taylor, eased the nerves and guided Bashley to a four-wicket win."I had visions of another batting collapse," Taylor admitted. "But it was pay-back time for Shaun. He ran Sketch out, but went on, got his head down and won us the game."Bournemouth came within four runs of losing to bottom club Liphook & Ripsley at Ripsley Park.They totalled 218-4 off 64 overs, with Liphook closing at 215-8 after facing two overs less.Matt Swarbrick (52) and Tom Webley (35) provided Bournemouth with a 71-run start, which Dan Jackson (53 not out), Julian Cassell (26) and Alex Allum (32 not out) subsequently improved.But Liphook, with only one previous win, battled to the end, with South African youngster Alistair Gray (57) piloting his side to within a boundary of the Bournemouth total.Left-arm seamer Mark Mixer (3-34) and Kristian Wilson (2-31) bowled well for the visitors, with Tom Webley sending down an economical spell of left-arm spin.

Former Everton ace Michael Ball has delivered a brutal verdict on Carlo Ancelotti’s Goodison Park exit to Real Madrid by claiming he “bottled it”.

The Italian made the shocking switch to the Bernabeu last week, returning to the club with whom he won the Champions League in the 2013/14 season.

Ancelotti did not manage to win La Liga but he also lifted the Copa del Rey and, the following season, the FIFA Club World Cup.

At Everton, though, he struggled to turn them into winners, finishing 10th in his only full season on Merseyside.

Ancelotti signed a four-and-a-half-year deal when he joined the Toffees, but his spell lasted just 18 months.

Ball believes there was supposed to be a long-term project with Ancelotti as manager, but that he has run to the easiest option at the first sign of a new opportunity.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “But I just think it was an easy option for him. I feel at his age, he just realised that it was going to take a lot longer at Everton to get where he wants them to be. He is a winner at the end of the day.

“You know Everton can’t go out and be paying 80, 90 million pounds on four or five players. And I just feel that he bottled it at Everton.

“I think he really just looked at the project and thought this is much more difficult than what I thought.

“The players probably couldn’t go out and perform the way he’d liked because he’s always been with high profile, high calibre players who will probably take that information and deliver on a football pitch.”

Ancelotti has never spent over two seasons at a club apart from with AC Milan, with whom he spent eight years.

Newcastle United must avoid making a major howler this summer and offering Andy Carroll a new contract, amid Steve Howey’s intriguing claim.

What’s the story?

The Magpies striker played just 381 minutes of football in the entire Premier League season, and in fact, had played less than ten minutes since the beginning of March.

Despite the lack of game-time, Howey has insisted he would keep Carroll at St James’ Park, and instead laid the blame at Steve Bruce’s door for the lack of first-team action.

He said: “I’m surprised that Carroll will be out of contract because me personally, I would keep him for another year, I really would. He’s been fit this season but just hasn’t been given the opportunity to play so that’s not his fault.

“It’s not his fault that he’s not played, that’s the manager’s fault because all Carroll can do is be fit. I still think he’s a threat and that centre backs still won’t like playing against him.”

Would be a disaster

While Carroll may be the kind of different dimension of striker that teams might like, he simply hasn’t shown he’s really cut out for this level for a long time now – injuries of course have played their part, but the fact he’s scored just five goals in the past four seasons is a real telling sign of his decline.

Earning a basic £20k-a-week, that rises to a monumental £75k-a-week if he actually starts, and to £35k-a-week if he comes off the bench, Carroll is simply making up the numbers at St James’ Park, at a time when the Magpies desperately need to be getting rid of the deadwood and freeing up the finances.

It’s already been indicated that money will be tight on Tyneside this summer, and having Carroll still pick up a pay-cheque for doing virtually nothing week-in and week-out would be a ridiculous waste of wages.

If Bruce simply doesn’t trust him enough, or doesn’t fancy him, then it’s best for the club to just let him go and loosen up the wage bill a little. The Magpies need to save every penny they can to make a go of signing players like Joe Willock to really take the next step up.

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Keeping Carroll in the hope that he can get back to his best from years ago seems like a foolish mistake to make, and it’s one that won’t have the fans happy at all.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are risking another Andy Carroll disaster with this signing…

Cristiano Giaretta has been handed a boost in his bid to bring Siriki Dembele to Watford this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Peterborough Telegraph, who claim that Peterborough United are yet to enter into contract renewal talks with the 24-year-old centre-forward, who is heading into the final year of his deal at the Weston Homes Stadium.

The report goes on to state that if the forward does not new agree on terms with this summer, he will be placed on the transfer list, as is club policy.

This is sure to have piqued the interest of clubs such as Celtic, Rangers, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Watford, all of whom have been credited with an interest in the Posh star.

Giaretta will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Dembele has been for Peterborough this season, if the forward does indeed go on to be placed on the transfer list this summer, Watford’s sporting director would undoubtedly be buzzing.

Over his 42 League One appearances for Darren Ferguson’s side this term, the 24-year-old has scored 11 goals, registered 10 assists and has created a whopping 17 big chances, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game, culminating in an average Sofascore match rating of 7.06 – ranking him as the club’s joint seventh-best player in the third tier.

It was reported last year that Barry Fry would demand a fee of around £5m to part with the forward, however, with just one year left on his deal at the Weston Homes Stadium, and with Posh likely eager to sell in order to receive the largest fee possible, it is not difficult to imagine this figure being slightly lower in the upcoming transfer window.

As such, a move for the £2.6k-per-week man – whom Ferguson dubbed as “outstanding” – would seem to be extremely appealing for Giaretta both on and off the pitch, as Dembele appears to very much have the potential to prove a real threat within Xisco Munoz’s attacking arsenal, as well as being a transfer that would not break the bank for the newly-promoted side.

In other news: Watford dealt transfer blow over “excellent” £450k-rated gem, Giaretta will be gutted – opinion