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Mohammedan Sporting, the last year champions, secured the place next to Victoria Sporting in GrameenPhone Premier League 2001-2002 today

Shahryar Khan12-May-2002Mohammedan Sporting, the last year champions, secured the place next to Victoria Sporting in GrameenPhone Premier League 2001-2002 today. The renowned club from Motijhil outplayed Bangladesh Biman convincingly in a reduced over match held in BNS ground today. Chasing Mohammedan’s total of 226 for 9 in 43 overs Biman was restricted to 188 in the 38th over.Faruk Ahmed, the Biman skipper won the toss alike yesterday and sent Mohammedan to bat first in a moist wicket conductive to lateral movements. Al-Amin triggered a collapse in Mohammedan top order in similar fashion as he did yesterday. The successful due Ehsanul Haq and Steve Tikolo fell cheaply. The club lost their third wicket on 13, but Sanwar Hossain and Habibul Bashar added 75 valuable runs in the fourth wicket.Bashar made a swashbuckling 40 before making that shot imprudently that got him out at the hands of Sajjad Kadir. Sanwar joined him soon making 46. Mohammed Rafique (44), the leftie promoted to the middle order, scored off some very quick runs, hammered two massive sixes in his innings. Captain Minhajul Abedin put a brave show under pressure to notch up a brilliant 56 at the crucial point and Shabbir Khan also chipped in with 15. With their efforts Mohammedan amassed 226 for 9 after 43 overs. It is noticeable that 7 overs have been reduced due to unplayable ground condition early in the morning.Biman, though made a flying start heralded by Imran Farhat, lost some wickets in quick succession. Farhat, the left handed attacking batsman from Pakistan, quick fired 44 off just 32 deliveries with the help of 4 boundaries and a six. He was put away by Taposh Kumar and Biman’s run rate started to decline.After the departure of Hasanuzzaman (12) and Aminul Islam (26) Biman’s chances fell away, but Khaled Mahmud, the diminitive all rounder made Mohammedan’s task a bit difficult. He was the danger man at those moments, picking up the odd ball to slam boundaries. At the other end his pa,rtners were leaving in regular interval.Mahmud made 42 off 45 balls and with his dismissal Biman’s innings saw its finish with the score on 188. Taposh Kumar, though got some earlier punishments from Farhat, ended up with 3 for 50. Minhajul Abedin, at the age of 38 playing so nicely, were rightly declared as the man-of-the-match.

Northern Districts completed an operating surplus of $57,402 over the past season, an increase of $13,446 on last year

Lynn McConnell13-Jun-2001Northern Districts completed an operating surplus of $57,402 over the past season, an increase of $13,446 on last year.ND’s profit was achieved in spite of an extra round of Shell Trophy cricket, increased investment in women’s cricket and coaching and development, and the ongoing developments at WestpacTrust Park in Hamilton.It was also achieved against a slight loss in affiliation fees, memberships and income from WestpacTrust Park.Chief excutive John Turkington said: “This result was able to be achieved through a significant increase in NZC and locally sourced funding and a vigilance in policing expenses against budget.”As this report is written the challenge remains to retain and increase our funding base to ensure we have the financial resources to meet the pending challenges.”The ND Association’s accumulated fund showed a significant improvement and was up $240,918 on last year.One area of concern that ND is looking to address is the quality of pitches in its region. While WestpacTrust Park in Hamilton and Owen Delany Park in Taupo had good and consistent playing surfaces there were issues at other grounds.”Without being too critical and whilst applauding the work of the Associations and their ground people, many of whom spend long hours on preparation for little or no return, other venues are often variable, through climatic and other variable conditions,” Turkington said.”Often the need to maximise gate income from Shell Cup matches, has caused ND to allocate matches to venues where the playing surface is not up to the standard required for developing our cricket.”Somehow we must work with the venues to ensure both financial and cricketing needs can be met,” he said.There was developing momentum in the Tauranga-Mt Maunganui area to develop an alternative venue to Blake Park. ND would support the Bay of Plenty Cricket Association in its choice because that part of the region was an important component of ND’s network of venues.The Rotorua District Council has expressed an interest in having first-class cricket played in Rotorua again while development of Bruce Pulman Park in Papakura by Counties Manukau should have the ground ready for district cricket next season.Poverty Bay’s Cricket Association is also keen to host cricket at the highest level possible in Gisborne at the Harry Barker Reserve.The chairman of ND, Mike Sandlant asked whether the time had arrived for ND to have more involvement in administration and cricket in its districts.”Some would hold up their hands in horror, others would welcome such an involvement. It might be, perhaps, the time for ND to address such matters and form some opinion for our strategic plan which is now evolving,” he said.

Leeds United have confirmed that fan favourite, Gaetano Berardi, will be leaving the club when his contract expires this summer and according to former Leeds midfielder David Norris, it is because he does not have the required quality to perform in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa paid both Berardi and Pablo Hernandez a tribute as the two players have amassed a total of 330 appearances for the club between them but Sunday will be their last opportunity to pull on the Leeds shirt.

Berardi has been unfortunate as he suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the end of the club’s Championship-winning season which has seen him miss almost the entirety of their Premier League campaign.

The defender was a great servant for the club in the Championship but he just lacks that little bit of extra quality that Bielsa desires, according to Norris, who spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern:

“Bielsa has those expectations of what he wants from each player in their respective position and he knows exactly what he wants from every player and I can imagine they will be quite high standards but Berardi is still a very good player. 

“Berardi has done it in the Championship for Leeds so he’s obviously got some quality, but it might just be that he doesn’t have that little bit of extra quality Bielsa wants in the Premier League.”

The 32-year old fortunately did get a chance to play for Leeds in the Premier League against Southampton when he was brought on to replace Diego Llorente in the second half.

Before making his Premier League debut, Berardi had been named on the bench by Bielsa for 10 of the club’s last 11 league games and many fans would like to see him and Hernandez play one last time at Elland Road on Sunday.

The Mercantile Cricket Association announced tonight that eight teams wouldparticipate in this years six-week Division A tournament, which is beingsponsored by Singer Sri Lanka, as opposed to the ten that played last year

Charlie Austin14-May-2001The Mercantile Cricket Association announced tonight that eight teams wouldparticipate in this years six-week Division A tournament, which is beingsponsored by Singer Sri Lanka, as opposed to the ten that played last year.The small number of teams coupled with the availability of national poolplayers is sure to provide for an intriguing tournament.Indeed, the recently appointed selectors are likely to follow the tournamentkeenly, as they look for the winning formula against India and New Zealand.Unlike the unwieldy Premier League one-day competition, which has so manyspurious encounters that fine individual performances are often renderedmeaningless, the Mercantile tournament pits the cream of Sri Lanka’scricketers against each other.The likes of Sajeewa Weerakoon, Ian Daniel, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara,Kaushalya Weereratne, Malintha Warnapura, Suresh Perera, JeevanthaKalatunga, Akalanka Ganegama, Ishara Amarasinghe, and Sujeewa de Silva – toname but a few of the promising players now waiting in the wings – now havea chance to stake there claim for recognition.Even an old dog like Hashan Tillakaratne, who scored a mountain of runs thisseason for Nondescripts, could force his way back into the Test squad on theback of a successful tournament, especially with uncertainty as to theavailability of Aravinda de Silva.Last years winners, Hatton National Bank, once again can boast an impressiveline-up and possibly start as favourites. The batting is strong, thoughperhaps somewhat unreliable, with the likes of Avishka Gunawardene,Tillakaratne Dilshan, Russel Arnold, Chamara Silva, and Chintaka Jayasinghe.In the spin department they can count on the golden left arm of SajeewaWeerakoon, the highest first class wicket taker of the season, the offcutters of Malintha Warnapura, and leg spin of Nimesh Perera, a player whoappears to have regained the all round school boy form that earmarked him asa future Sri Lankan player.Another side to watch will be Access International, the runners up lastyear, who have Aravinda de Silva, a clutch of Tamil Union players, includingthe tongue twisting Anil Riddigammanagedara, Indika de Serem, and NiroshanBandaratilake, an old workhorse in Pramodya Wickramasinge, and the promisingSuresh Perera.Seylan Bank is quietly hopeful this year. They have the best batsman in thecountry at the moment, Mahela Jayawardene, the wiliest seamer, ChamindaVaas, and fastest bowler, Dilhara Fernando. With Thilan Samaraweera,Kaushalya Weeraratne, Ian Daniel, Pradeep Hewage and Nawed Nawaz filling theranks, they have every right to be hopeful too.Samath Bank will be no push over either with Kumar Sangakkara, MarvanAttapattu, Upeka Fernando, Chandika Haturasinghe, Indika Gallage and RanganaHerath.Each team will play each other once, then the best four will go through to asemi final on June 16, with the final scheduled for June 23. All the matcheswill be played at Bloomfield, Moors, Colts and NCC.

This may have been a season to forget for the regular first-team players at Celtic, but it was one where the young players began to thrive.

Hoops centre-back Stephen Welsh enjoyed a breakthrough season in the backline while Ismaila Soro really came to the party in the middle of the park.

That said, it has also been one of despair for a number of youngsters coming through the ranks at Parkhead.

Cameron Harper has already departed after a lack of senior minutes while Karamoko Dembele has only featured three times.

With chances few and far between for those in the reserves, Celtic have made use of the loan system.

The Bhoys have no fewer than 11 players from their colt’s side enjoying temporary stays elsewhere.

Leo Hjelde has made a big impact while on loan at Ross County, being compared to former Celtic star Virgil van Dijk. However, the player who’s made the biggest splash is Luca Connell.

The 20-year-old moved to Glasgow in 2019 as a teenager after breaking into the Bolton Wanderers first-team. Yet, since arriving in Scotland, he’s not managed to break into the matchday squad.

When the opportunity to go out on loan arose, he grasped it with both hands. Connell headed to Queen’s Park where he’s helped them to win League Two.

The midfield had a big say in that and on his way to earning a winner’s medal scored three goals and recorded five assists in 13 outings.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/celtic-manager-transfers-eddie-howe-jesse-marsch-ryan-christie-siriki-dembele” title=”Read the latest Celtic managerial updates, transfer news, rumours and gossip!”]

Possessing relentless amounts of energy, the way he strides forward is particularly striking. Following a goal against Edinburgh just a few weeks ago, the commentator calling the action said he had a “wand of a left foot.”

It’s a big impression and one that the coaching staff at Paradise should be taking note of. After all, the impending exodus at Celtic should lead to players like Connell finally getting a chance.

Scott Brown is leaving for Aberdeen and consequently, Callum McGregor has been tipped to earn the captaincy. He is vastly experienced but his performances hardly merit the armband.

He has scored only four times all season and has been somewhat of a liability. McGregor was considerably off the pace in last weekend’s Old Firm derby.

Already on a yellow card, the Scotland international flew through Glen Kamara in the first half and was rightfully given his marching orders. McGregor was late, rash and fully deserving of the punishment the referee dished out.

Thankfully, Celtic supporters shouldn’t have to witness him in the middle of the park for too long. With Liam Shaw arriving this summer and Soro improving all the time, McGregor should be sweating over his place.

Add Connell into the equation too and the future of Celtic’s midfield looks a particularly promising one.

He can pass, tackle and have an impact going forward; what more could you want?

After his performances on loan in the end of this campaign, the young midfield general simply has to be given a chance by the new management team.

AND in other news, Hoops given financial boost after big Celtic news emerges, McKay surely buzzing…

Pep Guardiola has been handed a big boost at Manchester City this week, as despite concerns over Ilkay Gundogan’s wellbeing in midweek after he was on the end of a horror tackle, the German midfielder has confirmed on social media that he will be able for upcoming fixtures.

The former Borussia Dortmund man was one of City’s best performers in the 2-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain but there were serious fears that he would have to come off in the second half after Idrissa Gueye was shown a straight red card for his high challenge on Gundogan, which left him requiring treatment.

Whilst the 30-year-old finished the game, it would not have been surprising if he had carried on due to the adrenaline of the game only to realise afterwards that the injury was more serious than first thought.

However, after being asked by a concerned Man City fan on Twitter, Gundogan was quick to respond, reassuring fans that he is absolutely fine as he said: “All good. Thanks for all your messages”.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see him keep his place in Guardiola’s side for City’s important game against Crystal Palace at the weekend, where three points could seal the Premier League title depending on Manchester United’s result against Liverpool the following day.

The £36m-rated ace has been one of City’s top performers so far this season, averaging a 7.29 WhoScored rating for his performances in the Premier League, which is the fourth-best of any player in Guardiola’s squad.

His 12 top-flight goals also rank him as City’s top scorer in the league this season, so Guardiola will undoubtedly be relieved that the tackle from Gueye didn’t result in an injury and that the Germany midfielder should be available for the final few games of the season.

Hopefully he will be able to continue his impressive performances for City and help them potentially win the treble this season.

In other news… Forget Mahrez and KDB: “Exceptional” Man City beast ran the show against PSG

Marcus Trecothick continued his impressive early-season form with hissecond hundred against Glamorgan in the space of five days

Richard Thomas of the South Wales Evening Post01-May-2001Marcus Trecothick continued his impressive early-season form with hissecond hundred against Glamorgan in the space of five days.The England opener followed up his 147 in the CricInfo Championship match with a 118-ball hundred today that was the backbone of his side’s six-wicket victory in the opening Benson & Hedges Cup zonal match.Trescothick’s performance was all the more impressive as he wasSomerset’s captain for the day in the absence of the injured Jamie Cox.And the left-hander’s form will have given the England management great encouragement with the Test series against Pakistan starting in just over a fortnight.Replying to Glamorgan’s 233-6, Somerset reached the winning line withthree overs to spare.Trescothick, who won the Gold Award, was given fine support by KeithDutch who supplied a Benson-best of 55 in a second-wicket stand of 121in 25 overs.Glamorgan, last season’s B&H finalists, won the toss but a solidstart was marred by three unnecessary run-outs of top-order batsmen.Steve James was run out by 10 yards in a mix-up with Mike Powell, whowas also involved in the dismissals of Adrian Dale and Matthew Maynard.Powell and Maynard looked to have rescued the Glamorgan innings with 84in 15 overs before the former county captain was out of his groundattempting a third run.Darren Thomas and Adrian Shaw added 43 in six overs to post acompetitive total on a slowish Cardiff pitch.But Glamorgan’s bowling was too wayward at the start of the Somersetinnings and Trescothick punished anything with width until he was outfour overs from the end.

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, that relayed a claim made by Rangers’ assistant manager, Gary McAllister, regarding James Tavernier and Nathan Patterson.

According to McAllister, as cited by Clyde 1, Steven Gerrard could look to implement a shift in formation in order to accommodate the two “outstanding” right-backs, Tavernier and Patterson, into his starting XI.

The assistant manager said: “As a club, we are uber-delighted to have two outstanding players in that area. There are different formations that, you never know, we might be able to get the two of them on the pitch at the same time.”

So far this season, Patterson has made just five appearances in the Scottish Premiership, while the club captain, Tavernier, has featured in 29 league fixtures.

However, after news of the potential switch in formation was shared on Twitter by Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, fans of Rangers flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to be delighted at the prospect of both Tavernier and Patterson being on the pitch at the same time, something that could be seen in Gers’ clash with St Johnstone on Wednesday evening.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to Gary McAllister’s comments?

“The link up could be sensational.”

@BobbyCasa

“Tav as a winger when Patterson is playing could be class.”

@Groper29330391

“We’ve got to push Tav further forward, at least try it.”

@faby_ilari

“Would be class Paterson and Tav down the right.”

@allanbaird_

“Totally agree, Patterson is far more than a squad player nowadays and IMO should be playing regularly now, push Tavernier up one and really compliment both players by doing so.”

@rossthorpe

“Would be a pretty solid right flank…”

@actuallyyyyyy

In other news: ‘What did I just hear?’ – These Gers fans slam ‘dinosaur’ as ‘disgraceful’ Kamara claim emerges – find out more here!

Former Everton striker Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that Romelu Lukaku isn’t consistent enough to be Sergio Aguero’s replacement at Manchester City.

With the Argentinian recently announcing that he’ll be leaving City at the end of the season, a host of top forwards have since been linked with a move to the Etihad.

And whilst Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are reportedly top of Pep Guardiola’s wish-list, ex-Manchester United man Lukaku is also a target for the Premier League champions elect.

Since leaving United for £74m following his failed stint at Old Trafford, Belgium’s all-time top goalscorer has scored 61 goals across two seasons and is on the verge of firing Inter Milan to their first Serie A title for a decade.

But despite his goalscoring exploits in the Italian capital, Bent told Football FanCast that he doesn’t think that Lukaku is trustworthy enough to fill Aguero’s boots:

“You can’t replace him [Aguero]. He’s a goalscorer through and through, his record is up there with the best.

“Lukaku had his stint at Manchester United, he’s inconsistent for me, although he’s a seasoned-pro and does score goals, he seems to go on runs and then he’s out of form and might score one or two.

“He can be quite lazy at times, I can’t see them bringing in a straight ace for an ace because you can’t replace him.”

Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson sent Jurgen Klopp a message with another brilliant performance for Wales against Belgium on Wednesday evening.

Despite Wales eventually falling to defeat thanks to goals from Kevin de Bruyne, Thorgan Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, it was another productive evening for the 24-year-old, who opened the scoring as he polished off a fantastic team move in just the 10th minute of the game.

It was an impressive showing from the Reds’ midfielder to add to his eye-catching numbers for adoptive employers Cardiff City throughout the season – form that should see him be awarded a place in the Liverpool first-team set-up.

In 32 appearances in the Welsh capital so far after joining on-loan in the summer, Wilson has managed to score four times and provided 10 assists in all competitions. Only striker Kieffer Moore has contributed more for the Bluebirds this season – emphasising Wilson’s importance to the team this season.

Ironically, these numbers are only slightly worse than fellow Reds’ loanee Harvey Elliott, who too is earning rave reviews for his displays in the second tier for Blackburn Rovers.

Wilson’s campaign though is the latest in a long line of impressive seasons away from Anfield though.

He previously had eye-catching spells with Hull City and Derby County in the Championship, scoring 25 goals over a season-and-a-half in all competitions – a remarkable count for a wide player.

He then carried that form into his next loan move with Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Wilson scored seven goals in his first-ever top-flight campaign and despite the Cherries suffering relegation, suitably impressed.

It was expected upon his return to Anfield that he was going to stake a claim in the first team. He made just one Carabao Cup appearance though before departing for Cardiff.

Wilson, who is now valued at £14.4m, will hope that both of his form for the Bluebirds and on the international stage is enough for Klopp to sit up, take notice and finally give him an opportunity that he is certainly deserving of.

Elliott has been getting a lot of buzz for his performances at Blackburn, but Wilson is proving himself to be just as capable, if not more, than the teenager.

AND in more news, Reds’ fans have been discussing the prospect of signing Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland…