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Heavy rain across Britain washed out the majority of Sunday’s round of C&G Trophy matches. By 13.00GMT, matches at Bristol, Worcester and Trent Bridge had been abandoned.There was little luck at Headingley between Yorkshire and Warwickshire either, with just 15 soggy minutes’ play possible.Somerset’s match against Hampshire at Taunton finally got underway in the afternoon, with the home side choosing to field. However, after Andy Caddick removed both openers, the rain returned shortly before 5.00pm to ruin any further play, as both sides took a point each.Play did get underway at Edinburgh, of all places, as Ian Moran took five wickets in Scotland’s surprise 52-run win over Northamptonshire. Choosing to field first in a match reduced to 36 overs per side, Northamptonshire struck early with Lance Klusener removing Ian Stanger for 9. Cory Richards and Ryan Watson led the fightback however, notching up a vital second-wicket stand of 72. Richards (73) was particularly savage, clobbering 13 fours while Watson launched two huge sixes as Scotland reached the competitive total of 202 for 6. Northamptonshire began their reply disastrously when Robert White was run out for nought, soon followed by Usman Afzaal. The visitors slipped to 54 for 5 before Chris Rogers (40) briefly rallied. And, at 132 for 5 Northamptonshire will still handily placed until they collapsed spectacularly to 150 all out, with Moran snaffling 5 for 28 to hand Scotland an excellent and comprehensive win.Sri Lanka’s match against Sussex at Hove was also washed out at noon, without a ball being bowled on the final day.

Tasmania 5 for 270 (Marsh 106*, Bevan 55) beat Western Australia 9 for 208 (Hussey 79) by 62 runs
Scorecard

Daniel Marsh: reached his hundred off 85 balls© Getty Images

Tasmania cruised to a 62-run win over Western Australia in their opening ING Cup match after Daniel Marsh, their captain, blasted 106 runs off 90 balls to set a total which proved just too big to chase.The match did not start happily for Western Australia. They lost the toss and off the fourth ball of the day, Scott Meuleman dislocated his shoulder in attempting to run out Michael Di Venuto and was taken to hospital. But they pegged Tasmania back to 3 for 62 before Marsh’s arrival changed things.He started slowly, but added 89 for the fourth wicket with Michael Bevan, who hit an 82-ball 55 on his debut. Marsh, who was dropped by Steve Magoffin when he had made 7, accelerated towards the end of the innings, with the last 16 overs producing 141 runs. He posted fifty partnerships with both George Bailey (21) and Luke Butterworth (29) as Tasmania closed on 5 for 270.In reply, WA lost both openers very cheaply – Luke Ronchi fell to the first ball, and a batsman down already with Meuleman absent, became over-reliant on Mike Hussey, who scampered to a fluent 79. But after he was dismissed, their hopes of victory disappeared, and they lost their last four wickets for 39.

Group A
ScorecardZimbabwe ran out comfortable winners against Canada in front of another sell-out crowd at the Bogra District Stadium. They cruised home by eight wickets and put the pressure on Australia, who they beat yesterday, ahead of the final Group A fixture, Australia v Sri Lanka, at Rajshahi tomorrow.Australia must now win that game to ensure they have a better net-run-rate than either Sri Lanka or Zimbabwe to make it through to the Super League.Zimbabwe, however, did their chances of qualifying no harm by restricting Canada to 180 for 9 and then cruising home with 17 overs to spare. Tinashe Panyangara, Zimbabwe’s hero against Australia with six scalps, bowled 10 wicketless overs today, but Prosper Utseya instead lead the attack with 4 for 41.Zimbabwe lost opener Brendon Taylor with the score on only 16, but James Cameron and Sean Williams then came together to provide the platform. Williams was run out for 35, but Tinotenda Mawoyo helped Cameron complete the win. Mawayo finished on 32 not out, while Man of the Match Cameron was not out on 84.Group B Nepal 195 for 5 (Gauchan 80*) beat Uganda 194 (Lama 4-40) by five wickets
ScorecardNepal moved to within sight of an unexpected place in the Super League, as their five-wicket victory over Uganda piled the pressure onto yesterday’s victims, South Africa. Everything now rests on tomorrow’s mouthwatering clash between South Africa and England – and all of Nepal will be praying for an English victory.Nepal were made to work hard for their victory, although it was not quite as nail-biting as their one-wicket win yesterday. Uganda won the toss and elected to bat, and at 91 for 1 in the 28th over, there was scope for an impressive total.Kintu Wambudhe contributed 46 and Denis Musali made 32, but Lakpa Lama led the fightback, picking up 4 for 40 as Uganda were pegged back to 194 all out in the 50th over. It was then over to Nepal’s captain Shakti Gauchan, whose unbeaten half-century had secured that victory over South Africa.Gauchan followed up with a fine 80 not out to guide Nepal to victory with a comfortable 11 balls to spare. He was ably supported by Monick Shrestha (30) and Sharad Vesawkar (23), and South Africa have it all to do.Group C
ScorecardAfter their defeat against India yesterday, New Zealand’s progress was put back on track when they walloped Scotland by 240 runs at the Bangladesh Sports Institute. This now sets up an intriguing final group match between Bangladesh and India.If Bangladesh win that game, to be played tomorrow, the group will be decided on net-run-rate, and New Zealand’s large winning margin means even that could be tight.After India and Bangladesh both racked up big scores against Scotland, New Zealand needed to do the same. After they were put in, the batsmen started in a hurry, as Liam Chrisp raced to 48 off 47 balls before falling lbw to Gordon Allan. Bradley-John Watling and Brad Wilson then went into overdrive, putting on 273 for the second wicket before Watling was caught in the 48th over on 154. Wilson finished unbeaten on 144 from 118 balls in New Zealand’s impressive 389 for 2.Then the bowlers provided an equally important contribution as the Scotland batsmen struggled for runs. Wickets tumbled at regular intervals and only a patient innings of 60 from Kasim Farid delayed the inevitable, and Scotland where soon all out for 149 in 33 overs.”The result was important to us today,” said Pulley, New Zealand team manager. “If Bangladesh beat India tomorrow, the group will come down to net-run-rate. Our batsmen got some good time at the crease today and all of our players did their bit.It is now out of our hands and we will be watching the match tomorrow very closely indeed.”Group D Ireland 212 (Vali 4-40) beat Papua New Guinea 142 (Kidd 3-36) by 70 runs
ScorecardIreland picked up their first points of the Under-19 World Cup, thanks to a solid team performance against Papua New Guinea. They took West Indies to the wire in their first game, and performed creditably against Pakistan, so it was a deserved victory over the weakest team in Group D.After being put into bat by PNG, Ireland made steady progress, scoring at around four-an-over from the start. Seven of their batsmen made double-figures, but none could go on to make a tellingcontribution as they were bowled out for 212 in 49 overs. AndrewRiddles top-scored with 37, while opener Gary Wilson made 36. Vali Vali (4 for 40) and Lahui Davai (3 for 24) shared the wickets for PNG.There was no rest for Riddles after his important innings, as he returned to open the bowling for Ireland. And it proved to be his day as he dismissed two of PNG’s top three batsmen in a five-over burst that cost only eight runs.Ireland’s left-arm spinner Gary Kidd then took charge as Ireland mopped up the PNG lower-order for 142 in 38.2 overs. Kidd finished with figures of 3 for 36, while Riddles was deservedly named man of the match.Both Ireland and PNG will now compete in the Plate Championship inChittagong while Pakistan and West Indies – who face each other tomorrow – are already through to the Super League.

Sourav Ganguly has been looking forward to this day for the last 28 months. That elusive Test hundred finally came about on a murky afternoon at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi on the third day of the second Test match against Zimbabwe. The century hopefully marks the beginning of the end of the wretched form that Ganguly has been carrying with him in Test cricket for a long time now. He was still going strong at stumps on 135 off 279 balls, punctuating his knock with 21 fours and a six.There was not much cricket played today at the Kotla as the sun kept playing hide and seek behind dark clouds. There was a shower in the morning to start with, and the occasional drizzle kept playing spoilsport for the best part of the day. In the 47 overs of play possible today, India scored 148 runs, losing the wickets of Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar.If it was Ganguly’s day to celebrate, the crowd also had enough to cheer about as local hero Sehwag went about smashing the bowling regardless of the frequent stoppages. As yesterday, he targeted Ray Price, the most successful of Zimbabwe’s bowlers at Nagpur. The left-arm spinner was not given enough time to settle into a good rhythm as Tendulkar allowed him to do the previous evening.The wristy shots through mid-wicket, the powerful off-drives, and the caressing drive through covers were all a treat to watch at the Kotla. As a matter of fact, Sehwag took nine fours off Price. He did not spare the faster bowlers either; Streak too suffered through merciless hitting. In the meanwhile, Ganguly reached his hundred off the very last ball before the tea interval, pulling one from Streak to the fine-leg fence.In the very first over after the tea break, bowled by Travis Friend, Sehwag struck a couple of boundaries to send out a clear message of getting on with the job at hand. If Sehwag has a weakness, though, it is the ball that leaves him outside the off. When Streak got it right once, Sehwag flashed at it, but the resultant edge was put down by Andy Flower at first slip. The very next ball was cleverly bowled – getting it to move back in off the seam and hitting Sehwag on the pads, well in line with the stumps. Umpire Jayaprakash did not hesitate to put the finger up. Sehwag made 74 brilliant runs off 118 balls, striking 16 boundaries and emphasising his value in the middle order.Bangar came in and played a delicate shot to third-man for four. That was all he could make, as he became the second batsman to be dismissed by Ganguly’s reluctant running. Carlisle’s throw from covers to Taibu was a bit too quick for Bangar, who was trying to get back to his crease. India were 280/6 at that stage.Streak (2/82) bowled well today without much luck. The final phase of today’s play saw some dour defensive batting by Kumble. No running between wickets was to be seen as Kumble took much of the strike, leaving the in-form Ganguly a spectator at the non-striking end for the best part. India still trails by 10 runs and will be looking forward to building up a lead tomorrow.

A major Sunderland claim has emerged regarding Danny Batth’s move to the club earlier this year… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Examiner, Sheffield Wednesday attempted to seal a deal for the central defender in the January transfer window, only to see him sign for the Black Cats on a free transfer.

He joined Sunderland on an 18-month deal from Championship Stoke City and then-boss Lee Johnson hailed his arrival, saying:

“We have some good characters already in place at the football club and you are always looking to nurture leadership qualities, but Danny’s come ready-made. A dominant centre back, he has a great personality and I think he will have really positive effect on and off the pitch.”

Buzzing

This claim will surely leave Stadium of Light supporters buzzing as it shows that Kristjaan Speakman pulled off a masterclass in January.

The Black Cats supremo was able to convince the experienced battler to turn down a transfer to Hillsborough in favour of one to Sunderland. Irrespective of how the deal ends up working out, this shows that the club still has a huge pull and that Speakman is able to work his magic to snap up players who are being eyed by teams in the same division.

In fact, the Owls are one of the club’s closest competitors this season. There are only two points between the two teams as it stands, with Wednesday in sixth and Sunderland in seventh in the League One table.

They are both competing for a play-off spot and one team could end up causing the other to miss out on a top-six place come the end of the campaign.

Batth has been struggling with an ankle injury this year and the Black Cats are yet to see the best of the former Wolves machine. He found it difficult to discover his form before finding himself sidelined with the knock and is now on his way back to fitness.

His form in the Championship for Stoke earlier this season suggests that he will be able to have a huge say in the play-off race if he can get himself back to 100% and injury-free. He averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.10 in the second tier, making 5.5 clearances and 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game.

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Batth has shown that he can be a solid defender in a higher division and this suggests that he has the quality to excel in League One for Sunderland. It is just down to him to now prove that he can get back to his best and make sure that Wednesday live to regret missing out on him.

Speakman pulled off a masterclass that will delight fans, because of the potential benefits by bringing him in. Batth must now repay him by delivering on the pitch.

AND in other news, Speakman heading for SAFC shocker on £2.7k-p/w gem who’s the best “in the division”…

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez feels that Chelsea will struggle against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals.

The Blues overcame Benfica in the quarter-finals to set up a mouth-watering clash with the reigning champions, with the first leg to be played at Stamford Bridge.

Martinez, who takes his relegation-threatened Wigan side to west London this weekend, feels that his countrymen may be too strong for Roberto Di Matteo’s team.

“If the second game had been at their place, Chelsea would have had an advantage,” he told The Sun.

“They need to take at least a two-goal lead to Barcelona to win. Ninety minutes in the Nou Camp is a long period to address things and put them right.

“Barcelona did that against AC Milan the other night. If the second leg had been at the Bridge, Chelsea would be favourites,” he opined.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Chelsea manager-in-waiting Guud Hiddink has asked the club to sign Wesley Sneijder, according to The Sun.

The West London club hope to agree terms with the Turkish FA for their national manager by next week and has reportedly made the Inter Milan playmaker his number one transfer target.

A fee in the region of £30 million is unlikely to deter Chelsea in moving for the player who looks certain to leave the San Siro this summer.

The Dutch international moved to Inter two summers ago from Real Madrid in a €15 million deal and won the Champions League in his first season at Inter. The 26-year old has made 79 appearances for the club but Inter only made the Quarter Finals of this year’s Champions League. Despite finishing second in Serie A, Sneijder is still rumoured to favour a move away.

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Manchester United have also regularly been linked with the player as they look for a replacement for the retired Paul Scholes. He is seen as a key acquisition as United look to bridge the gap on Barcelona following their Champions League Final defeat. However, his reported £200,000 a week wages could prove to be a stumbling block in any deal.

West Ham United coach Avram Grant was proud of his battling players as they fell to a cruel 1-0 Premier League loss at Arsenal on Saturday.

Alex Song's late winner separated the two sides at the Emirates Stadium and, although they remain at the foot of the table, Grant was pleased with his team's efforts.

He paid particular praise to goalkeeper Robert Green after he kept them in the contest with a number of stunning saves as the Gunners stamped their mark on proceedings.

"I think we played well today," the former Chelsea and Portsmouth boss said.

"We played against a very good team and I think they only had two chances to score. We also did some things on the counter-attack and then they scored in the last moment.

"But I'm very proud of the players after what they did today. They showed a lot of good things, fighting spirit and tactical understanding.

"Unfortunately they scored in the last moment, it happens. He is a good keeper, he did a good job today. All the defence did a good job today.

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"They closed the spaces well. It is not easy to play against Arsenal and we did do well. I don't remember Arsenal not able to create so many chances in a long time, this is because of the whole team.

"We can take a lot of positive things from this game even though we lost."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs has admitted that his side’s derby fixture against title rivals Manchester City on April 30th may well decide who becomes champions this season.

The Red Devils hold a three-point advantage over Roberto Mancini’s men with eight games left to play, but still have to travel to the Etihad Stadium, where City are unbeaten this season.

The veteran has stated that the game between the two may well be decisive, due to the teams being neck-and-neck.

“We have the experience but City have the hunger. If we both keeping going like this, everything will be decided in the derby,” he stated to Gazzetta dello Sport, translated to English by Sky Sports.

The 38-year-old bypassed the 900 appearance mark for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side earlier in the season, and has admitted that he is not ready to retire from the game just yet.

“For now, I just want to play football but I’m prepared for my life after retirement.

“Becoming manager of Manchester United? We’ll see, for now I just want to enjoy the moment.

“My goal as a youngster was to play one game for Manchester United. I achieved that dream, which I’m continuing to live at 38. I could not ask for more,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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