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The sons of both Bradmans – white and black – decided against playing cricket for a career. But while Sir Don’s son even changed his surname to eliminate any public scrutiny, Linsworth Headley, George Headley’s eldest son, kept his, even as he excelled in a different field. Linsworth Headley finished sixth in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games in the 100m and fourth in the 4x100m relay.His father accumulated 2190 runs in 22 Tests at an average of 60.83, notching up a startling 10 hundreds in those matches. George Headley played for the West Indies between 1921 and 1948 with a consistency comparable only to Bradman’s, but, even though arguably the Caribbean’s greatest ever batsman, he was not honoured with a knighthood.”Had he gotten it, he would have been happier,” says Linsworth Headley. “You see, he got nothing while he was alive. We now have his statue at Sabina Park, a road here is named after him – but he could not see these things. He didn’t know how to drive, and he had no car. But whenever he was out of the house, within five minutes he was picked up by a car. He was known as the People’s Champion.”The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) seems to have been lax in preserving Headley’s heritage. His house was destroyed completely in a flood, along with any memorabilia it may have contained.His son now stays at one of the posher areas of Bridgetown, Barbados. Sabina Park may have honoured his father with a statue, but Linsworth is not sent any complimentary tickets by the Bridgetown Board for Test matches at the Kensington Oval.”I have to buy tickets to see the match. But entering the ground gives me a pleasure that cannot be compared to any other, since I watch the matches in my father’s stand and feel really proud of him,” says Linsworth.That the media dubbed his father the Black Bradman hardly gets under his skin. “I have heard that another section of the media named Sir Don as the White Headley,” he says. “I am not a great follower of cricket, but I heard that Sir Don had problems when he played on wet wickets, and my dad had no such problems.””My dad was never after material gain,” he continues. “That is why we couldn’t even find his bat, pads or gloves in our house. But the respect he receives even now is a real honour for a sportsman who gave everything for the betterment of his country’s cricket.”George Headley married twice, with Linsworth being the son from his first wife, Reena. Reena is now 87 and stays at an old-age home in Bridgetown, her memory almost gone.”Dad sent me to university,” says Linsworth. “I got a degree in business administration. Following my success in the Olympics and studies at university, Dad was happy that his son had done something. And I’m honoured to be his son too.”

Bashley (Rydal) plan to have the Southern Electric Contracting Cup firmly in their grasp before they face neighbours Bournemouth in an ECB Premier League, Division 1 revenge clash at the Bashley Cricket Ground tomorrow (SAT), 11am.The Foresters will be the proud holders of the SEPL knockout trophy for the second time in three seasons if they beat South Wilts in this evening’s (FRI) final at the Hampshire Rose Bowl.But they have a score to settle with Bournemouth, who skittled them for 101 before romping to a ten-wicket win at Chapel Gate earlier this season."That was probably our lowest point of the season," reflected Bash skipper Neil Taylor."Kristian Wilson returned his best Premier League figures and we just caved in.Bashley go into tonight’s final – provisionally scheduled for the main Rose Bowl arena – as firm favourites.South Wilts, minus Hampshire left-armer Jimmy Tomlinson and all-rounder Paul Draper, have had their bowling attack seriously blunted."But they can all bat a bit," Taylor warns."South Wilts will be looking to rise to the occasion and we’ll have to play to our full potential if we are going to win."Players like Jamie Glasson and Russell Rowe will thrive in a big match atmosphere – and we must match them."Bashley will be at full strength for tomorrow’s Premier League derby – the last of the all-day "time" matches.The Premier League reverts to 50-over matches next weekend, with BAT Sports currently 16 points clear of Havant at the top.Bournemouth, who checked BAT’s amazing 15-match winning sequence last week, delay naming their team for the Bashley trip.BAT Sports are back to full strength as they bid to step up their title challenge against Portsmouth at Southern Gardens.Kirk Stewart, a key absentee in last week’s drawn match at Bournemouth, returns to spearhead the BAT attack alongside 32-wicket Dan Goldstraw, who bagged 20 scalps last month alone.Teenage duo Graham Noble and Ricky Rawlins also play, despite a heavy workload for Hampshire’s successful Under-17 side."We are grateful to Raj Maru for allowing them both to play tomorrow," said BAT skipper David Banks, who has some catching up to do in the overall wicketkeeping award stakes."It’s an ideal platform for these two lads to show Raj just what they can do, especially as the Hampshire Development Coach will be captaining the Portsmouth team."Calmore Sports, minus newly-wed Mark Boston, can give BAT’s back-to-back title hopes a boost if they can beat Havant at Loperwood Park.Havant, 16 points behind, have a critical weekend, with Stanmore set to visit Havant Park for an ECB Club Championship quarter-final replay on Sunday, 1pm.The teams began their last-eight qualifier in North London last Sunday – but the match was abandoned because of the dangerous state of the Stanmore pitch.The ECB directed that the game should be replayed at Havant, who will receive Saffron Walden in the semi-finals on August 11 if they win.Apart from Neil Cunningham, Burridge will be at full strength for the visit to Andover, where skipper Roger Miller faces a late check on a twinged hamstring picked up scoring a century at Havant last week.Younger brother Mark is back in the side alongside Jerry Hayward and Ian Langdown, but Toby Radford is absent, as is university student Martin Docis, who is treading the boards in the musical Chicago."We didn’t realize Martin had hidden stage talents, but he’s pretty switched on musically," Miller explained.Watching the outcome with interest will be Liphook & Ripsley who aim to enhance their own survival prospects at South Wilts.

In harmony with the look of a construction site that the Bellerive Oval has adopted of late, there has been the sense that something has been building all summer in Tasmanian cricket. It peaked at a crescendo today as the Tigers used irresistible confidence, a Shane Jurgensen hat-trick, and a near-record catching exhibition by Daniel Marsh in the slips, to crush New South Wales by ten wickets in their Pura Cup match here in Hobart.Jurgensen’s moment of glory came in mid-afternoon, affirming New South Wales’ slide toward a second innings total of 238 after it had trailed by only one run less than that mark on the first. Michael Clarke (20) was trapped in front of his stumps by an off cutter; debutant Vaughan Williams (0) suffered exactly the same fate; and Brad Haddin (0) then edged a late-tailing outswinger to first slip.It was only the second hat-trick in Tasmanian first-class history; it was the first of its type at Bellerive; and it culminated in the sight of the remainder of the Tigers’ players leaping, cavorting and wrapping themselves around their paceman as if they were trying to bust a dam wall.Even twelfth man Shannon Tubb, bearing drinks for his teammates, sprinted on to the field at pace that might have shaded Carl Lewis in his heyday.”I was in a daze,” said Jurgensen of his reaction to the achievement.”It was just amazing; there were blokes everywhere just jumping. I thought, for sure, that I’d get a spike in the foot or something.”In the process of his destruction, Jurgensen (6/65) – the journeyman who was crisscrossed from Queensland to Western Australia and now Tasmania in the search for a regular first-class position – had also all but ensured that his new team will play his native state in the 2001-02 Pura Cup Final.”I just can’t believe it, really. It’s been an amazing turnaround for us since Christmas. We’ve done extremely well and we’ve just got one week to go now.”The next week’s more important than anything. It’s an excellent, really exciting time for everyone involved in Tasmanian cricket.”The Tigers were made to wait for 90 minutes to resume their charge toward just the third finals match in the state’s first-class history as light drizzle delayed the day’s start. When they returned to the middle, they wasted little time in securing their passage into the decider.Veteran paceman David Saker (1/71) made the crucial opening breakthrough when he found an edge from the bat of Matthew Phelps (41) after only ten minutes. Diving hard to his right at slip, Marsh took an outstanding catch that became the first of four for the innings. He finished with six for the match – a mark bettered only once by a non-wicketkeeper in the entirety of his state’s first-class experience.When New South Wales captain Michael Slater (7) edged a Jurgensen ball of impeccable length to Marsh only two minutes before the scheduled lunch break, the Tigers’ joy reached a new zenith.All-rounder Grant Lambert (45*) completed a determined match when he produced a plucky innings during the game’s dying hours. Resistance in the face of the near-inevitable was also offered by Phil Jaques (23), Nathan Bracken (22) and Stuart Clark (18) for a Blues team that fought hard in spite of the fact that it had little for which to play.But the momentum was overwhelmingly with Tasmania – as it concluded a remarkable post-Christmas revival that has yielded four resounding wins in the space of five appearances. The fifth was denied by bucketing rain in Melbourne.Jurgensen ultimately re-arranged his career-best figures for the second time in the match, pairing a haul of six wickets with his five from the first innings. It was an effort made all the more meritorious in that his team had lost fellow fast bowler Damien Wright to injury and that he was forced to work into a headwind for all of the 16 overs that he bowled in an outstanding sustained spell.Not even a last-wicket stand of 43 runs between Lambert and Clark could head off Tasmania’s victory march for long. Nor rearrange its quotient sufficiently to give third-placed Western Australia any hope of knocking the island staters out of their appointment with Queensland in Brisbane next Friday.The Tigers ultimately required only one second innings delivery to complete their victory, sealing their place in the Final when captain Jamie Cox symbolically thrashed an outswinger from Clark through the covers.It’s doubtful that their rallying call – an anthemic adaptation of the Richmond Football Club’s official song – has ever been performed with more gusto in the Tasmanian dressing room.

Somerset all rounder Ian Blackwell who made such an impact against India in the ICC Trophy at the end of September is currently out in Australia where he is spending time with the England Academy in Adelaide, before joining the full international squad for the triangular series later in the year.Now into his second full week with the Academy he told me earlier today: "Things have really started well, and the weather has been perfect, up until the last few days, with the temperature in the mid twentiesjust perfect weather for golf which we played on Sunday afternoon just as light relief !"He continued: "The training is quite tiring and the days are long, with everyday starting at 6.30am with either a beach run or a swim. The days are pretty full with a variety of fitness training activities including sessions with `Crouchy’ who is a retired boxer who takes us for hard gym sessions and tough boxing drills that certainly get the blood going!"`Blackie’ is also devoting time to basic drills in batting and bowling which are videoed and analysed, weight lifting, speed training , yoga, relaxing and stretching sessions, Pilates, Swiss ball and Core stability work and of course net practice.”He concluded: "Our programme out here is pretty varied from the really strenuous to light relaxation sessions. All in all the programme is a good and balanced one which so far has been hard work but really enjoyable."One thing that ‘Blackie’ was keen to know was when he would be playing against his former county Derbyshire.He won’t have very long to wait because the Cidermen travel to Derby for a four day game on April 30th, but before then all of his supporters back at home will be hoping that ‘Blackie’ can establish himself as a regular member of the England side.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Rashid Latif will miss the entire ongoing tour of Zimbabwe due to his neck and back injuries as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) retracted its earlier decision and has now opted to use its own panel of doctors for treatment instead of making arrangements in South Africa.A PCB spokesman while quoting PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia said Tuesday that decision to recall Rashid was to help him regain fitness under the supervision of PCB panel of doctors. Naturally, they (panel of doctors) would have all the opinions of the specialists along with the tests reports of the injuries that would help them constitute a rehabilitation programme for him.No replacement for Rashid would be sent to Zimbabwe, the spokesman added.PCB chairman also took a bold step to determine if Rashid was injured prior to his departure for Zimbabwe. PCB will seek a report from Pakistan physiotherapist and trainer Dennis Waight in this connection. If it is discovered that Rashid was already injured before leaving on the tour, he would be liable to pay a fine upto US 1000 under the players contract clause 8.7 which relates to those players who report unfit or is not upto the fitness standard required for international cricket. The team physio and doctor shall determine the amount of fine.It was learnt that Rashid was unfit before the tour and it was also in the knowledge of captain Waqar Younis and PCB too. This is evident from the fact that a second wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal was included in the Zimbabwe tour, a decision taken after many years.Rashid who has been touring with the team for the last one year as sole wicketkeeper could do the job singularly in Zimbabwe too if he was fit. The decision of not sending any replacement for Rashid also proved that lone wicketkeeper was enough for the Zimbabwe’s and Kamran was only included because the first wicketkeeper (Rashid) was not fit.

KARACHI, Aug 17: Temperamental and controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was named Saturday in Pakistan squads for the Kenyan three-nation and ICC Champions Trophy tournaments.Off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, however, was not considered for the events in Nairobi and Colombo at his own request for family reasons.Shoaib, who was instrumental in Pakistan’s stunning 2-1 win over world champions Australia in June, chose to skip the ongoing Morocco Cup and instead committed himself to club cricket in England. However, given his unpredictable mannerism and the fact that he is the favourite player of Pakistan Cricket Board, it is hardly a surprise to find Shoaib Akhtar back in the side.Shoaib, ironically, replaces Saqlain in the only change to the squad now playing in Tangiers. But batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has been omitted for the Champions Trophy in Colombo because the tournament rules require teams to have squads of 14 players each.The Pakistan team flies straight from Tangiers to Nairobi where the tournament starts Aug 29 with Waqar Younis’ men taking on Kenya. All matches in the double league tournament will be played at Gymkhana Club Ground.Kenya not only stepped in to host the tournament on behalf of the PCB after Australia opted against playing in Pakistan for security reasons but also accepted the invitation after New Zealand pulled out of the event.After the final on Sept 7, all three participating teams depart for Colombo for the Champions Trophy.The 12-nation championship opens with Pakistan playing hosts Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium on Sept 12.Pakistan then play Holland in their final Pool One tie at the SSC Ground nine days later (Sept 21).Only the four pool winners qualify for the semifinals on Sept 25 and 27 respectively. The final is slated for Sept 29.Squad for Nairobi: Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami, Misbah-ul-Haq.Squad for Champions Trophy: Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami.Tri-Nation schedule:Aug 29: Pakistan v Kenya.Aug 30: Pakistan v Australia.Sept 1: Pakistan v Kenya.Sept 2: Australia v Kenya.Sept 4: Pakistan v Australia.Sept 5: Australia v Kenya.Sept 7: Final.

He was dropped from the Guyana Test on India’s last tour of the West Indies in 1996-97. This time around he will walk out to toss with Carl Hooper on the very same ground.For Sourav Ganguly, the captain of the Indian team, that is a great feeling. And, “by the grace of God,” as he puts it, he has always come back stronger at the places where he was dropped earlier. Remember Toronto? He earned four consecutive Man of the Match awards in his second Sahara Cup after being dropped for a couple of matches in the first one.But this is a different ball game altogether, and he will have to best the average Caribbean bowling attack to ensure a good first-innings total for the team, coming in at number three.With one more Test victory, he will be the most successful Indian captain on foreign soil. At the moment he has three victories, the same as MAK Pataudi, Bishen Singh Bedi and Sunil Gavaskar. This is his and his team’s best opportunity to do so. Twenty-four hours before the first Test, he chatted exclusively with our correspondent:Do you remember being dropped from the Guyana Test in 1997?Of course, yes. I can never forget that. It keeps pinching me every time I look back at the previous tour. Believe me, it will be a great feeling when I’ll be going out with Carl Hooper to toss the coin for the first time. It is a coincidence, but a wonderful one, I must admit.Do you think your team is capable of winning a test series in the Caribbean?Definitely. Ours is a much stronger team than the team touring here in 1997, especially in the bowling department. We have two of the finest spinners of modern-day cricket, and Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan are operating in tandem with the new ball. It is quite a balanced attack and capable of taking 20 wickets to win us a Test match. In 1997, Sri [Srinath] was not there, neither was Harbhajan. So we are hopeful.But will Harbhajan play in the first Test?I hope so, if he is fully fit to play. I don’t want to aggravate the injury by picking him when he is not fully fit to take the strains of five days of cricket. It is up to our physio to take the final decision tomorrow morning.It seems that you are destined not to play the full team you desire abroad. Anil Kumble played under you first in the South African tour, Sachin Tendulkar and Srinath were missing from the Sri Lankan tour…What can I do about it? It really hurts. But at the same time, you must not forget that we are playing throughout the year, and anybody can pick injuries. We should be prepared for that. But there are some positions you just cannot fill up. Bhajji [Harbhajan] was an integral part of our planning. If he misses the Test, we will have to change our strategy.Then will you be playing with three seamers and Kumble?That is yet not finalised. At the moment we are not ruling out the possibility of playing Bhajji at Guyana. If he is not available, then of course we will have to think otherwise.Will India continue with Deep Dasgupta at the top of the order?Why not? He is averaging nearly 40 in Tests as an opener, and that is enough for the team management to allow him one more chance. He deserves it. I know he was not tidy behind the stumps in the recently concluded series. But keeping to Anil [Kumble] and Bhajji on Indian wickets is always tougher for a newcomer. I hope he will keep better here. And you cannot drop a performing opener who showed tremendous guts in South Africa.You had said that Rahul Dravid would get back his number three spot after the Delhi Test. Will that be true, or you will continue at that position?I think I will continue. We need Rahul to play the second new ball at the bottom of the innings. And personally I was getting frustrated waiting so long to bat in Tests, especially after opening the innings in one-dayers. My vice-captain has faith in me to allow me one or two more opportunities.You did not come here with the team. A section of the media was not at all happy at that. Your reactions?I simply fail to understand why there is such a furore about it. If your wife is ailing, isn’t it your duty to be beside her bed for as much time as you can? I just did that and came here right before the tour-opener. Not only that, I did play in that match too. Yes, I didn’t come with the team, but there were some unavoidable reasons, and I took the permission of the Board president. That is enough, I suppose.But what about playing so slowly in the limited over match following the first class match here?We were trying to spend as much time at the wicket as possible. There was only one preparatory match before the first Test. The batsmen wanted to have a feel of the wickets here. That is why they played so slowly. It was in the interest of the team.

Hampshire have left many options open for their Cheltenham & Gloucester match v Somerset at Taunton on Wednesday, taking a squad of 14 to the West country.The main problem for Hampshire is Robin Smith’s back injury, and he will face a late fitness test before deciding whether to lead Hampshire out. Will Kendall would captain the side.Lawrence Prittipaul and Jason Laney will be vying for the vacant spot should the captain be unable to play.Hampshire from: Derek Kenway, Will Kendall, John Crawley, Robin Smith (Captain), Neil Johnson, Giles White, Nic Pothas (wicket-keeper), Shaun Udal, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Chris Tremlett, Alan Mullally, Jason Laney, Lawrence Prittipaul, James Hamblin.

All-rounder Andy Blignaut’s plans for the season are as yet unclear, but he caused a sensation in the opening National League match of the season, taking eight cheap wickets against Old Georgians and then making the top score of the match to give Alexandra Sports Club an easy victory.One observer put his success with the ball down to poor batting as much as good bowling.Blignaut played no top-level cricket last season, partly due to injury, partly to other interests and partly to disagreements with administrators and other players. However, he is reportedly considering a contract and it remains to be seen whether he has the determination and commitment to make a return to the international arena.

A half-century from Matt Windows led champions Gloucestershire to afive-wicket victory over Yorkshire in the Norwich Union League match atBristol.Set 160 to win, the game was in the balance when Gloucestershire were 77-3in the 27th over.But Windows, with an 87-ball innings of 51, helped seal a second win of thecampaign for Mark Alleyne’s side with four deliveries remaining.Yorkshire’s total was always going to be more challenging than it appearedon a slow, seaming pitch that was not conducive to positive strokeplay.Visiting captain David Byas opted to bat first, but his team were soonstruggling at 53-5 in the 22nd over.It needed a partnership of 73 in 15 overs between Darren Lehmann and Gary Fellows to rescue affairs.Lehmann required 24 deliveries to make double figures – unusually cautiousplay from the free-scoring Australian – but he then stepped up the tempo tostrike seven fours in his 78-ball innings.Kim Barnett’s occasional seamers eventually had him caught behind by ReggieWilliams as he attempted to cut.Fellows departed three overs later when he swung across the line at MartynBall’s off-spin and was lbw.Richard Blakey made an unbeaten 16, but the rest of Yorkshire’s tail offeredlittle.Gloucestershire skipper Alleyne claimed 2-17 in his nine overs andthere were also two wickets apiece for Jon Lewis, James Averis and Ball.Tim Hancock and Barnett gave the Gloucestershire reply a good start with astand of 43 in 12 overs before the former was caught at cover by CraigWhite off Chris Silverwood.Chris Taylor fell lbw to Fellows for a duck and then Barnett, back in theside after a foot injury, was run out for 29 by James Middlebrook’s throwfrom short fine leg.Windows and Rob Cunliffe then put on 63 in 15 overs for the fourth wicketand, although both departed in the closing stages, Alleyne and Jeremy Snapecalmed any nerves by taking ten off the penultimate over from Fellows.