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Saturday’s play was almost a carbon copy of the first, with Hampshire finishing on 245-7 at the close of play in their Frizzell Championship match against Warwickshire at The Rose Bowl. Warwickshire had resumed from their overnight score of 241-7.In Hampshire’s two previous matches, dismissing tail-enders had been a problem. This was not the case this time, as the final three Warwickshire wickets fell quickly when play resumed, giving Alan Mullally his best bowling figures of the season with 6-56.Despite the hot sunshine in front of a sizable bank holiday crowd, Hampshire made slow progress on a wicket not suitable to stroke play. Just 15 fours were scored in the innings to date, three from John Crawley who top scored with 60 in 183 balls.Dougie Brown’s three wickets were hard fought for, and Hampshire will be hoping to build a lead albeit small as they will have to bat last on a wicket showing signs of turn.

Roger Miller struck his first league century for ten years as Andover beat Burridge by four wickets to maintain their lead at the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League.He hit an undefeated 118 as Andover overhauled a Burridge total of 214-5 with eight balls of their 50-over match remaining.Miller couldn’t even recall his last Southern League century, except confirming "it was a long time ago." It was indeed – June 13 1992 : exactly 100 for Old Tauntonians against Longparish at the old Richard Taunton College ground in Southampton !Miller’s 118 not out at Burridge – an innings which contained 14 boundaries – carried Andover to their fourth win in five limited-over matches."We needed 40 off the last four overs and, with a few lusty cracks from Richard Taylor and Dean Woodhouse at the other end, got there with a bit of time to spare," Miller explained.The Andover captain spent all but three balls of the match on the field after coming to the crease with Andoverrocking after two early blows by Nick Creal and Paul Belverstone.But, supported by Ian Langdown (23) and several minor middle-order contributions, he turned the match, being particularly severe on Moeen Cheema, whose 4.4 overs cost 41 runs.Cheema made his mark for Burridge, hitting 73 in a promising start with Ian Williamson (38), which South African off-spinner Gareth Tate (3-30) interrupted.Paul Ancell (44 not out) and Chris Mepham (24 not out) took Burridge on to 214-5 – but it was not enough to spare the Whiteley club from a third defeat in four games.Luke Sears, who led Hampshire YCs to the ECB Under-19 County Championship several years ago, was the hero of Havant’s four-wicket win over Calmore Sports.Havant bowled Calmore out for 100, but crashed to 37-5 against James Hibberd (2-14) and Christof Bothma (2-37) before Sears launched his rescue mission.Almost single-handedly Sears, with an unbeaten 48, turned the tide for Havant, who had lost four wickets for only 11 runs on a difficult surface.South African Mackie Hobson celebrated his Hampshire Board call up for the forthcoming ECB 38-County Championship match against Surrey with a splendid 4-15 spell for Havant.The former Northerns and Natal medium-paceman ripped out three of Calmore’s top five, including top scorer Clive Surry (20), and then removed Stuart Bailey (19), who was trying to initiate a recovery.Bevis Moynhan (2-22) did his bit as Havant maintained the pressure on leaders Andover.Champions BAT Sports, who had lost two of their previous three games, bounced back with a 114-run mauling of lowly Portsmouth at St Helen’s, Southsea.BAT dictated the game from the off, with Richard Kenway (65) and Damian Shirazi (27) providing a 75-run platform for the middle-order.Warren Swan (3-31) created inroads, but Adam Hayes (25), Michael Watson (20) and Dave Banks added useful runs to lift BAT to 196-7.Openers James Moon and Lee Savident were the only Portsmouth players to make double figures as Raj Maru’s side, minus the influential Matt Keech, fell apart.They were bundled out for 82, with Kirk Stewart (4-18), more accurate with an older ball, ripping through after Shirazi (2-35) had dismissed both openers.Liphook & Ripsley continue to prop up the table after Russell Rowe’s powerful 90 set up a storming nine-wicket win for South Wilts at Ripsley Park.Liphook’s fragile batting crumbled again, with only South African Alistair Gray (20) making a fist of it against dual left-arm pacemen James Tomlinson (3-21) and Shaun Adam (2-12).They tumbled from 76-4 to 127 all out, with Rob Wade taking 3-13 with his military medium seamers.Rowe, last season’s leading Premier League run getters, wasted no time in launching South Wilts’ victory bid.He ruthlessly laid into the Liphook bowling, cracking a blistering 90 out of the first 114, leaving opening partner Paul Draper (27 not out) to complete the formalities.

England kicked off a tough international summer with an emphatic win overPakistan, taking the first of the two-match npower Test series by theconvincing margin of an innings and nine runs with a day to spare.The visitors were overwhelmed by Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough, whosegrowing reputation as one of the strongest opening attacks in the world wasreinforced by a day-long exhibition of tight attacking bowling whichaccounted for 12 of the 16 wickets that tumbled.Four went to Dominic Cork and only newcomer Ryan Sidebottom came away fromLord’s with nothing though he will have learned much from Gough’s andCaddick’s masterclass and his economy earned him credit.Caddick had a brief spell of bad luck midway through the final session after hitting Abdur Razzaq on the helmet. Two balls later, the shaken batsman was returning to the pavilion having edged the ball to the wicket-keeper but was recalled when the celebrating Englishmen suddenly noticed umpire Peter Willey standing with his arm raised, signalling a no-ball.Azhar was later dropped at backward square leg by Michael Vaughan who wasdeceived by a late flight kink, much to Caddick’s great anguish but in thesame over, the Somerset man was rewarded for his patience when Abdur Razzaq,who had been at the crease for almost three hours, offered Mike Atherton aneasy chance at first slip.Razzaq’s demise for 53 was followed eight balls later by the departure ofAzhar whose luck finally ran out when he pushed tentatively to a fullerlength ball and sent the ball directly to Stewart.Caddick’s fourth wicket of the innings, his eighth in the match, effectivelystripped Pakistan’s cupboard bare and on 122 for seven, a heavy defeatinside three days looked unavoidable.Such a defeat had looked unlikely at the start of the day when, resuming on115 for four, they had two days remaining to make sure of a draw.But the final six wickets fell in 25 overs, the last three in four ballsfrom Gough and, following on, the tourists lost another four by tea, two ofthem to breathtaking catches by Graham Thorpe.Gough bowled superbly throughout to finish with 3-40 while Cork wrapped upthe innings with the wicket of Waqar Younis for 3-41 but the man of thematch award went to Andy Caddick for blasting away Pakistan with 4-54.

Star left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori is rested and invigorated and excited about the prospect of joining the New Zealand team on their Test tour of Pakistan next week.The TelstraClear Black Cap has been seen and assessed after his rest period while the New Zealand one-day team were in Sharjah.He said that after the England series he was more tired than anything else after what had been “a long, long summer.””At the end of the England series Craig McMillan and I were the only two who had played every game of the summer, and I see he fell over before the last game in Sharjah. It was a bit like last man standing,” Vettori quipped.The 18 One-Day International programme and all the travel associated with it had really knocked him around and he had been thankful for the rest. He has had no problems with his back.”The travel gets to you.”However, he said it only took a week to get over it and he was looking to get back into action quickly.”I am excited about going to Pakistan. It will be quite tough over there. They have a good team at the moment and there are no warm-up games.”I am expecting the wickets will be reasonably flat,” he said.While the rest of the year looks reasonably hectic, Vettori said he thought the schedule was a good one.The team had some time off before the West Indies tour and then a couple of months off before the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka and then the home series against India before the World Cup.Vettori, who is sitting on 130 Test wickets, is looking at the 150 mark as his next goal.

England warmed up for the three-match One-Day International series, which commences at the recently constructed Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Friday, with a comfortable 51 run victory against a talented Sri Lankan Board President’s XI today.

After the nail biting tension and high drama of the Test series, this was a calmer affair, more akin to a mid-summer English festival match, than the highly charged games that we can expect over the next week. The feature of the games was a return to form by Graeme Hick, who stole the show with an awesome century.Hick was well supported by a breezy Michael Vaughan, who opened the batting in the absence of the rested Stewart and Trescothick. The pair added 206 runs in just 28 overs after the early loss of Mark Alleyne and guided England towards an imposing 279.England then restricted the Sri Lankan board XI, who contained eight players with international experience, to 228 in an efficient performance, the highlight of which was an Andrew Caddick hat-trick at the death.More importantly though, the one-day specialists were given a chance to stretch their legs and acclimatise to the searing heat, which has intensified in the last week. Both Alan Mullally (10-1-34-3) and Mark Ealham (8-0-37-1) impressed on their first outings.Hick played serenely for his first 50, hitting the ball with his characteristic cleanliness. Having passed his 50, he went into overdrive and smashed 50 runs from just 17 balls. He hit seven sixes in all, two of which that sailed out of the ground and into the tooting streets of central Colombo.He spoke afterwards about a difficult past week, in which he had been dropped from the Test side: “I was obviously very disappointed to miss out on the Test match. All through the winter I have been happy with the way I have been hitting the ball, but if you cannot take that out into the middle, it does not mean anything. I therefore enjoyed today as I was able to get in and spend some time at the crease.”Vaughan adopted an aggressive attitude after the initial calm of the opening overs and was soon shimmying down the wicket to the medium pacers. He enjoyed some early fortune and was dropped twice on 42, but by the end was batting with power and fluency.Upon reaching the umpteenth century of his career, Graeme Hick was promptly retired and Michael Vaughan was bowled by Pasan Wanasinghe for 97. The one-day specialists then missed an opportunity to find some batting form before Friday. Nick Knight was caught behind for one, Andrew Flintoff pushed his way to 18 before being caught in the deep, and Mark Ealham was also caught on the boundary for 19.The innings fell away as Akalanka Ganegama – a loose-limbed young bowler, who has impressed in domestic cricket this season – returned for a second spell and clean bowled three English tailenders to finish with four wickets in the innings.The Sri Lankan reply was centred around a 75 run stand between Indika de Saram and Russel Arnold, the acting captain, after the loss of three early wickets, all caught behind by makeshift wicket-keeper, Mark Alleyne, the ultimate utility player.When Indika de Saram skied a catch to Andrew Flintoff for 33 and RusselArnold drove straight to short extra cover for 62, the Sri Lankan innings faded despite an unbeaten half-century by Thilan Samaraweera.

Batsman Ashwell Prince, who averaged more than 50 in four-day and one-day provincial cricket during the past summer, was named Western Province player of the season at the WP Cricket Association awards function on Monday night.Left-hander Prince, also a brilliant fielder, averaged 53.9 (539 runs) in the Supersport series won by WP, and 68 (272 runs) in the day-night competition.Other contenders in a closely fought race would have been captain HD Ackerman, vice-captain Alan Dawson and all-rounder Neil Johnson.Most promising provincial player was another left-hander, Graeme Smith, in his debut season. Smith finished with a Supersport average of 42.25 after accumulating 676 runs in the four-day competition, with a highest of 183 in the final against Border.

Marcus Trescothick may have suffered a premature end to his England career but he is determined to continue giving back to Somerset, the county where he has spent almost 20 years, expressing a desire to continue playing into his forties. Should he get there, then the life-enriching properties of sausages will have to be reappraised.The county circuit lost two old-stagers into their fifth decades in 2012, with the retirements of Mark Ramprakash and Robert Croft – both 42 when age finally caught up with them. Trescothick, who played the last of his 76 Tests and 123 one-day internationals in 2006 before a stress-related illness prompted him to put club above country, will be 37 in December and missed a large chunk of last season with an ankle injury. However, successful surgery on the problem has provided encouragement that he has a few more years of brutalising county attacks left in him.The loss of their captain for three months of the season was representative of Somerset’s campaign, as 24 different players were used in the Championship – joint most with Surrey. Such disruption made their second-place finish, 24 points behind champions Warwickshire, all the more commendable and Trescothick – who passed 1,000 runs in five consecutive seasons between 2007 and 2011 – hopes to have several shots left at ending Somerset’s long wait for a first Championship pennant.”My target is to get to 40 and reassess things then,” he said. “If my ankle and the rest of my body holds up, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t still be playing then and beyond. There’s no more swelling now and there is an opportunity through the winter to strengthen it further.”I know there will be niggles along the way and I may need the odd injection. But I am adapting my training programme to manage things and don’t foresee any serious problems. I don’t see much changing over the next three or four years and it is certainly my intention to go on playing for as long as possible.”Professional sportsmen in the modern era might be expected to go on longer than their predecessors, aided by advancements in training, dietary awareness and fitness regimes, but few cricketers contemplate playing the first-class game into their fifties, as WG Grace and Jack Hobbs once did.The likes of John Emburey, Graham Gooch and Alec Stewart have, more recently, continued playing Test cricket into their forties, however, and Graeme Hick (who retired at 42) and Paul Nixon (40) continued to give good service to their counties until an age when it was once said life truly begins. Murray Goodwin, who was this year discarded by Sussex at the end of a season when the reactions appeared to have slowed irretrievably, was signed up by Glamorgan, two months before his 40th birthday.In attempting to reach the landmark, Trescothick may have to steel himself for more heartache: in the last three years, Somerset have lost five limited-overs finals, as well as twice finishing runners-up in the Championship. Alongside the chance to end that rum run, there are personal records to contemplate. With 13,641 runs for the county, he is unlikely to overhaul Harold Gimblett (21,142) but Peter Wight’s 16,965 is possibly within his reach. If form and fitness hold, he could become the first man to score 50 first-class hundreds for Somerset.He would surely prefer to end the county’s Championship hoodoo, though the sight of him carving cut shots across the Taunton outfield in four seasons’ time would be satisfaction enough for many in that part of the world. A permanent place on the Sky Sports sofa, where Trescothick makes an engaging pundit, surely beckons but he won’t be getting comfy just yet.

ScorecardDavid Warner was in prime form, striking 29 fours and a six in an innings of 193•Getty Images

David Warner’s reinvention as a middle-order batsman received a tremendous boost as the left-hander amassed 193 against South Africa A in Pretoria. The visitors finished one run short of 400 on the opening day as Glenn Maxwell celebrated his maiden first-class century as well.Warner was suspended from the Australian side after an altercation with England batsman Joe Root during the Champions Trophy and could not participate in the warm-up matches for the Ashes. Subsequently he was not picked to play the first Test and with coach Darren Lehmann confirming Chris Rogers and Shane Watson as Australia’s openers, Warner’s future in the side demanded that he adjust to the role of a middle-order batsman. He was sent to Africa with the A side to prepare him for the role; a role he was keen to perform, expressing a wish to fill the shoes of Michael Hussey.Having failed in his only outing in Zimbabwe, Warner stepped into a delicate situation with Australia A two down, both wickets going to Kyle Abbott, by the 13th over. A 73-run partnership for the third wicket between Warner and captain Aaron Finch, who scored a half-century, revived Australia A. Marchant de Lange accounted for Finch, but Warner, having already surged to a run-a-ball, fifty spearheaded a 76-run stand with Moises Henriques to put Australia A in the driver’s seat.Henriques’ fall brought Maxwell to the crease and misery to South Africa A as the duo piled on 204 runs off 229 balls with Maxwell reaching his century with his 13th four. Warner’s wicket, bowled by de Lange, signalled the end of day one, but not before Warner had lasted 226 balls, and hit 30 boundaries, including one six.Maxwell was very pleased with his innings. “It’s always nice to get the century out of the way on the first day,” he said. “I’m very happy with my performance; this is probably the best I’ve batted in a long time. It was good to bat with Dave Warner. He was taking a lot of the pressure off me by scoring pretty quickly.”Justin Ontong, the South Africa A captain, was disappointed with his side’s performance. “It was quite a hard day for us. The wicket was good to bat on but we should have bowled a little better in the first hour,” he said. “We bowled on both sides of the wicket which made it very difficult for me to set fields. And if you bowl [like that] to good batsmen like Warner, they’ll punish you.”We need to pick up five more wickets. We are going to have a good chat now and come back strongly tomorrow. Still it will be hard work for our batters but they need to apply themselves and show patience and get themselves in a position like David Warner got.”

ScorecardAdam Voges is putting Australia’s poor showing in the Champions Trophy behind with•AFP

On the opening day of the Ashes, it was Middlesex’s Australian import Adam Voges who stood firm to deny Warwickshire a three-day win after the hosts were forced to follow-on in Uxbridge.Voges, a 33-year-old right-hander from Perth, followed his sublime first innings 150 with a stoic, unbeaten 15 in 83 minutes as Middlesex limped to 147 for 5 in their second innings and still trail by 30 going into the final day.Having conceded a first innings deficit of 177, Middlesex were batting again just after lunch on the third day after being dismissed for 309 – just 28 short of surviving the follow-on – and were soon on the slide once more.Only 16 deliveries into their second innings left-hander Dawid Malan attempted to cut against Chris Woakes only to chop the ball onto his middle stump.Then, just before tea, Sam Robson fenced a Boyd Rankin lifter to Rikki Clarke at second slip to bring together former Kent team-mates Neil Dexter and Joe Denly.After a sticky start the pair added 68 inside 15 overs before Dexter (36) aimed to drive at Barker and only feathered it through to the keeper.Voges, batting again before 5pm and with his side still 72 runs in arrears, then watched as Denly edged onto middle stump, while John Simpson fenced at a Rankin lifter to be caught behind just before stumps .Resuming on their overnight first innings score of 177 for 4 and requiring a further 160 to avoid the follow-on, Middlesex made a steady start through Voges and John Simpson.They posted a record fifth-wicket partnership for Middlesex against Warwickshire eclipsing the county’s previous best of 175 set by Paul Weekes and Jamie Dalrymple set at Edgbaston in 2004.Then, with their stand worth 180, Simpson, shuffling forward to Jeetan Patel’s skidding arm-ball, went leg before for 63 to make it 208 for 5.In the next over, Voges moved to a 151-ball hundred with 13 fours with a single against left-arm seamer Keith Barker.He became only the seventh Middlesex batsman since to score a first-class hundred on debut since Edward Lyttelton took a hundred off the Australians at Lord’s in 1878.Voges was the first to achieve the feat for the county since his fellow countryman Phil Hughes achieved the feat against Glamorgan at Lord’s in 2009.However, it was Warwickshire who were soon celebrating when Gareth Berg followed the next ball from Barker outside off and edged through to keeper Tim Ambrose to go without scoring.Barker was soon in the action again, taking a sharp low catch at short square leg to send back Ollie Rayner off the bowling of Patel. Tthen in the next over, Barker had Toby Roland-Jones (nought) caught at first slip off an airy drive.With Chris Wright out of the Warwickshire attack with a back strain, Voges reached his 150 after lunch from 215 balls but, having helped add 72 in tandem with Ravi Patel, he danced down the pitch to clip a return catch to Jeetan Patel off a full-toss.The hosts posted a third batting bonus point before their last man Corey Collymore drove a catch to mid-off, leaving Ravi Patel unbeaten on a career-best 26 as Warwickshire enforced the follow-on.

Dirk Nannes, the former Australia fast bowler, has pulled out of a planned spell as one of Glamorgan’s overseas players for the Friends Life t20 after suffering a stress fracture in his back while playing in the IPL.Nannes, 37 and a T20 specialist these days, is second only to Alfonso Thomas as one of the leading wicket-takers in the format. He was set to join Marcus North, also a former Australia international and Glamorgan’s limited-overs captain, at the Welsh county but was injured during his stint at the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, for whom he took four wickets in five appearances.”We were disappointed to hear that Dirk will not be able to join us this season – he is a quality bowler and would have been a valuable addition to our squad,” Glamorgan’s head of elite performance, Matthew Mott, said. “We are now considering different replacement options and have already spoken to a number of players.”Glamorgan would have been Nannes’ fourth county, after previously appearing in the T20 tournament for Middlesex, Nottinghamshire and Surrey.