Canada lost a warm-up one-day match against TUCS (the University of Pretoria) by seven wickets. Canada batted first and made 228 for 6. Openers Desmond Chumney (19) and Sandeep Jyoti (17) got the innings off to a reasonable start but the main scoring came in a fifth-wicket stand between Ashish Bagai (80 not out) and Abdool Samad (100).

Canada used several bowlers in this practice match but went down to solid batting from TUCS opener Phil Haupt (67 and No. 3 batsman Gert Lotries, who starred with 146 not out.

Canada, Bermuda and the Netherlands meet in a series of official ODI matches over the next week. Canada will then close their trip to South Africa with the final match in their ICC Intercontinental Cup group.

Eddie Norfolk

Bermuda's assistant coach Herbie Bascome believes that unless the players become mentally tougher then success will continue to elude them.

In a wide-ranging, no-punches-pulled interview with the Royal Gazette, the veteran St. George’s paceman, who was appointed to assist head coach Gus Logie earlier this year, also called on the Bermuda public to show more patience, reminding them that their country was the smallest ever to qualify for a World Cup.

“You know, maybe the players weren’t in the right frame of mind to play cricket.

“I thought the Kenya tournament crept up on us a little early, we didn’t have too much time to try out the facilities. And those facilities where we trained in Kenya weren’t the best anyway.

“Bermuda’s game thrives on team spirit and that spirit wasn’t always there in Kenya. Once we break that spirit we run into one or two problems.

“Individually, I don’t think we gave a full commitment to achieve and accomplish what we’re here for.

In April 2006, Eddie Norfolk joined the Canadian Cricket Association as their marketing and communication manager. A little more than two months later he was effectively ousted without reference to the main board.

It was obvious from the moment he arrived that Norfolk would be a breath of fresh air in a previously semi-secret organization. Before his arrival the CCA provided almost no information on the game, had no functioning media department, and at times even seemed hostile to attempts to give the game there a higher profile. Within weeks that had changed.

However, it seemed that Norfolk quickly rubbed senior CCA figures up the wrong way. Looking in from the outside, it is hard to see just what he did wrong. But it seems that some within the CCA would have preferred to retain a cloak of anonymity. There is also a clear suspicion that people were jealous that Norfolk was becoming more identifiable as the voice of Canadian cricket than they were.

Click here for the full story

The Times of Malta have a round-up of Marsa's win against Overseas in the Winter League on Saturday. And there's another match this Saturday aimed at promoting the game across the islands.

The Sharjah Cricket Council (SCC) has gifted a seven-ground cricket complex to the UAE to ensure non-stop action throughout the year.

Inaugurating the Al Dhaid cricket village yesterday, Waleed Bukhatir, the chairman of the Al Dhaid Cricket Village Development Committee said: "The theme of creating such a village is to ensure that people enjoy cricket with their families in lush green surroundings, away from the city." "Six cements grounds are ready for action and one turf wicket is also being built. We will have a look at the amount of water available in this area and if possible try and transform the whole village into a green turf," added Bukhatir.

More at Gulf News

Two former Sri Lankan Test cricketers, Ruwan Kalpage and Champaka Ramanayake, are turning out at the Awali Oval on November 24 in Bahrain.

The two visiting stars will feature in the finals which will be an eight-a-side affair ensuring a grand finale for the tournament.

Each team will comprise of their very best players who will be specially selected, assuring an exciting day of matches for cricket enthusiasts.

More at the Gulf Daily News. A few days ago, at the same ground, a charity mini-Ashes match took place: click here for a report.

A tournament organised by the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) for Under-16s begins today at Chiang Mai. The three teams are Bangkok, Khon Kaen, and Chiang Mai in three 45-over contests. The full schedule can be found at the Bangkok Post.

Martin Williamson reviews the Kenya-Bermuda one-day series and looks at what the games mean for both sides

Although the three-match one-day series between Kenya and Bermuda hardly registered on world cricket's Richter scale, in the battle for supremacy among the game's second string it had greater significance. And with the World Cup less than four months away, it provided a much-needed fillip to the Kenyans but left Bermuda with many more questions than answers.

The 3-0 scoreline does not flatter Kenya who outbatted and outbowled Bermuda, and who certainly looked the far more professional and fitter side in the field

They came into the series under pressure to perform after some indifferent results. They also needed to start nailing down exactly who would be in their World Cup squad. By the time they wrapped up the series whitewash yesterday evening, the selectors should have had far more of an idea of who will be travelling to the Caribbean in March.

The form of the impressive young batsman Tanmay Mishra and the slow left-armer Hiren Varaiya were real highlights. There remain questions at the top of the order, but Malhar Patel did enough in his one outing to give him a real chance of securing the No. 3 slot with some solid performances in January's World Cricket League in Nairobi.

There is also a sneaking feeling that Kennedy Otieno, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman who chose to play club cricket in Australia rather than this, may have overplayed his hand. He wasn't missed as much as perhaps he thought he might have been and he is now far from certain to be recalled.

It also seems that those who have chosen to live overseas - such as Hitesh Modi - or play hard to get - such as Ravi Shah - are also out of the reckoning. While both will be missed, the selectors are running out of time to experiment and pander to personal whims and they are to be applauded if they stick with what they have from here on in.

And what about Bermuda? Well, while Kenya scrape by on scraps, they have a massive $11 million investment to underpin their development. However, as lottery winners often discover, money does not buy happiness. The last few months have been dogged by rifts between players and the board, as well as discipline issues, and on the evidence of this series, not only have they not progressed, they might have even taken a step backwards.

The greatest worry for Gus Logie, their coach, is the lack of fitness. Bermuda are not the youngest side, but not are they are approaching the kind of geriatric feel that blighted the USA's participation in the 2004 Champions Trophy either. But several of their side are carrying excess baggage and, in the unforgiving world of one-day cricket, that matters. They also lacked the mental steel which is needed at the highest level.

Time for both sides is running out. But while the Kenyans appear to be getting their house in some kind of order just in time, Bermuda are struggling. They now travel to South Africa where they will face the Netherlands, one of the stronger Associates, and Canada, possibly the weakest side taking part in the World Cup. Unless they show a marked improvement on their Mombasa performances, more gloom awaits them.

Victoria and District Cricket Association

The Victoria and District Cricket (VDCA) 2006 regular season comprised two pools of five teams, arranged in equal strength groups. Every team played other teams in its group twice and then once against the teams in the other group. This meant a maximum of 13 league games. Colts came top of Pool A, followed by Incogs. In Pool B Albion 1 finished top, followed by Cowichan.

The season season finished with playoff games between the top two teams from each Pool in the regular season. The play-offs were one-game semi-finals and a one game final. The top team in each pool played the second placed team from the other pool.

In one semi-final, Cowichan bowled out Colts for 89. Tanzil Rehman, with 43 runs, provided the main resistance to Cowichan’s Luke Watson who took 6 wickets for 33 runs. Rick Fletcher made 35 not out and Steve Jesperson 25 runs as Cowichan reached 90 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, to win by 7 wickets.

Incogs beat Albion I in the other semi-final which was also low scoring. Albion was all out for 93. K. Cheema 21 provided the main resistance to the highly effective bowling of Adam Price (3 for 16), Jim Wenman (3 for 20) and Mark Ely (3 for 36). Incogs were made to struggle for their runs but had the one man to make a score on the day: David White who made 45 not out. Kulvir Sidhu with 4 for 15 was the pick of the Albion bowlers.

The final was a competitive battle with the bowlers well on top. Cowichan made 102 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 45 overs .Dan Ferguson, 18 runs, and Steve Mayall, 16 runs, were the leading scorers. Adam Price (Incogs) took 3 wickets for 36 runs and Roger Zwicky 2 for 12. Price then made the highest individual score of the day, 27 runs as Incogs reached their winning target in 28 overs. Matt Wenman was 17 not out in Incogs total of 104 runs for 5 wickets. Luke Watson (Cowichan) had to settle for 2 wickets for 27 runs. I am told that “Incogs were good value for their win”, which comes from Howard Martin whose affiliation is with Cowichan.

A separate knock-out competition was played, won by Cowichan. They reached the final by beating Carico and Albion 1 beat Metchosin. Sadly, the final was not actually played. Albion 1 defaulted to Cowichan.

Tony Cordle, the former Glamorgan stalwart in the County Championship, is assisting the VDCA with coaching.

A couple of noteworthy achievements have been brought to my attention. Marshall Travis (Alcos) lead the Island’s batting with an average of 85. Steve Jesperson (Cowichan), bowling against Oak Bay, had figures of .9 overs, 3 maidens, 11 runs, 7 wickets. This included two hat-tricks. One came in his fourth over, the other in the sixth. Remarkably five of the six hat-trick victims were bowled. Ah, the values of bowling line and length; easy to say, harder to do.

Eddie Norfolk

British Columbia Mainland Cricket League

Salim Akbar won the playoff championships for the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League in 2006, beating Meraloma in the final. This was a reversal of the regular season positions where Meraloma topped the 7-team Premier Division and Salim Akbar second. Richmond came third and Pakcan fourth. Seattle (Washington, USA) placed last in the regular season standings.

Canadian national team players Geoff Barnett, 47 runs, and Kevin Sandher, 36 runs, were the top individual scorers for Meraloma in the Final. Bilal Khan took 4 wickets for 40 runs as Meraloma was all out for 151 runs in the 50th over.

Salim Akbar’s success was built on a number of steady contributions with the bat. They reached the winning target with almost 4 overs to spare. Jawad Dawood made 34 runs and Hasan Ali Pashar 33 runs. Haninder Dhillon, the Canadian international, was unbeaten on 32.

Eddie Norfolk

The Royal Gazette carries a report about the troubles the Bermuda players have had in Kenya which include a man being gunned down outside their hotel in Nairobi, an umpire vomiting on the pitch in Mombasa and some cautionary tales about driving in the country’s second city.

Driving in this coastal city means risking your life everytime you get behind the wheel. Buses, taxis and private cars all weave from one side of the road to the other at breakneck speed, attempting to avoid gaping holes in the tarmac, made worse by the recent rain. Courtesy on the road? Forget it. At night, everybody drives with their headlights on full beam, regardless of oncoming traffic, and those unfortunate to break down aren’t likely to get much sympathy. Stranded vehicles on the roadside are regularly stripped of their wing mirrors and hub caps.

Bermuda will be back in Nairobi for the World Cricket League in January, as will one of our young staff members who suddenly feels less thrilled about the trip than he did before reading the article!

The ICC executive, which met in Mumbai last week, received a request from the USA Cricket Association for an extension towards the fulfillment of National Body elections under a new constitution.

The original deadline for elections under a new constitution was November 30, 2006 and the board agreed to extend that deadline to March 2007, the time for the next ICC board meeting. However, it resolved to offer no further extensions.

The ICC has slapped Greece with a hefty punishment following breaches of rules and improper conduct during the ICC Europe World Cricket League (WCL) Division 2 Championships in Scotland in August 2006

Greece fielded two ineligible players in all three preliminary round matches and, in line with the ICC Player Eligibility rules, the event organisers stripped Greece of all their points which saw them fall from top to bottom of their group of four teams in the eight-team event, and suspended the players concerned for the rest of the tournament.

Greece then refused to play theirseventh/eighth place play-off in the tournament, the loser of which would be relegated to Division 3.

The ICC board examined the issue and resolved to suspend all funding support from the ICC Europe Regional Development Program for a period of 12 months. Greece Cricket could be welcomed to fund its own way into any regional activity, if desired. Greece were also relegated to Division 4.

Tomalin Cup 2006
The Tomalin Cup is played annually between the champions of the British Columbia Mainland League (BCML) and the winners of the Victoria and District Cricket Association. In 2006, the Cup was played at Beacon Hill, Victoria. Salim Akbar (BCML) had a comfortable eight-wicket win over Incogs.

Andrew Maxwell provided the main resistance when a depleted Incogs side batted. Vilal took 2 for 3 and Imran finished with figures of 2 for 15. Salim Akbar reached the winning target for the loss of just two wickets.

Salim Akbar included Haninder Dhillon, the Canadian international, and players such as Manoj David and Shazad Afzul, who both played for a Canada XI against MCC in 2005. David was recently named winner of the 2006 Cliff Cox Medal, a prestigious award given to the 'best and fairest player' in the BC Mainland Cricket League. The award is decided by the votes of the umpires.

Eddie Norfolk

	Sharad Ghai: blame it on the rain © Cricinfo

This column has flagged on several occasions the slanted reporting of one or two journalists in Nairobi’s Nation newspaper, and that bias has again surfaced with quotes from Sharad Ghai, the larger than life former board chairman, following the abandonment of the ICC Intercontinental Cup tie against Bermuda.

“We had a golden opportunity to win," Ghai told the newspaper. “When drawing the fixtures Kenya should have considered the weather pattern. India will not agree their fixtures to be drawn for June because of Monsoon rains"

The Nation, so ready to quote the former board chairman, fails to mention that when Ghai was in charge rain was not an issue as almost no matches took place. The final home game under his tenure was an ICC Intercontinental Cup match held in … October …only four weeks earlier than the one he moaned about. And it is worth noting that on that occasion Kenya were forced to field a second XI as all leading players were on strike in a long-running dispute with Ghai’s board.

But, as the Nation’s journalists would have you believe, those were the good old days.

Guernsey and Jersey in the Channel islands are set to host their first international tournaments in 2007. Jersey will host the European Under-19 Championship, while Guernsey is set to host the first European Under-23 Second Division Championship, featuring both Channel Island teams, Italy, and either France or Gibraltar.

Rashid Khan, the former Pakistan fast bowler, has been appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board to train young cricketers in China. The move is part of a joint effort by the International Cricket Council and the Asian Cricket Council to give a fillip to cricket in China.

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After months of bitter wrangling, contract negotiations between the national team and the Bermuda Cricket Board have concluded in a long-awaited agreement on the eve of the team’s departure for a tour of Kenya and South Africa.

The BCB released a statement suggesting an agreement had been reached which was "satisfactory" to both sides – though when pressed the board was unwilling to divulge specifically how much they had agreed to pay the players with a little over five months to go before the World Cup.

Click here for the full story in the Royal Gazette