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Former England Under-19 international Mark Footitt delivered a reminder of his talents by claiming four wickets to help Derbyshire dismiss Northamptonshire for 220 on the first day at Wantage Road

27-Apr-2010
Scorecard
Former England Under-19 international Mark Footitt delivered a reminder of his talents by claiming four wickets to help Derbyshire dismiss Northamptonshire for 220 on the first day at Wantage Road.Footitt, who was tipped for senior England duties as a youngster, was released by Nottinghamshire last year but returned figures of 4 for 78 off his 17 overs. The 24-year-old was ably supported by Tom Lungley and former South Africa international Robin Peterson, who took three wickets each.Northants captain Nicky Boje top-scored for the hosts with 54 but David Sales and Andrew Hall both gave their wickets away on 33. And opening duo Wayne Madsen and Chris Rogers smashed 57 runs from 13 overs before the close of play to leave Derbyshire trailing by only 163 runs.Northants won the toss and chose to bat but were struggling on 25 for 2 after nine overs thanks to Derbyshire seamer Lungley. He first trapped Vishal Tripathi lbw for 13 before Alex Wakely went for a third-ball duck when Lungley clipped the top of his off stump with a slower ball.Stephen Peters made it to 32 off 58 balls before he smashed Footitt to Rogers, who took a good low catch at mid-off. Footitt struck again when he ripped through Rob White’s off stump with a superb quick delivery, the batsman going without troubling the scorers after facing six balls.Resuming on 98 for 4 after lunch, Hall lasted another seven overs before being caught by wicketkeeper Lee Goddard off Footitt after making a bright 33 off 41 balls. Northants lost Sales, who also made 33, in the next over when his attempted drive off spinner Robin Peterson flew straight to Madsen at extra cover.Lungley claimed his third wicket when Paul Harrison edged him limply to Goddard for a simple catch. Boje and James Middlebrook took no chances as they tried to salvage their side’s innings before tea with a gritty 32 off the afternoon’s remaining 20 overs.Boje reached his half century in 97 balls in the fourth over after tea. His total included four fours and one six smacked straight down the ground, but he did not last much longer as the 37-year-old went to drive Footitt in the next over but only found Madsen at point.Peterson then ended the Northants innings by first bowling David Lucas (13) then Jack Brooks, who faced just two balls without scoring before being caught by John Sadler at short leg. Derbyshire made a strong start to their reply, to be 163 runs behind with 10 first-innings wickets in hand.

Many Everton fans have been left lauding some transfer news that has emerged on Brennan Johnson.

As per The Daily Mail, the Goodison Park faithful have now joined Newcastle United, West Ham United and Brentford in the race to sign the Nottingham Forest ace, who could be sold in the January transfer window if their £20m valuation is met.

He has also being monitored by Tottenham Hotspur, in what could turn out to be a real Premier League battle for his signature.

The 20-year-old has so much potential, and has played in every single game in the Championship so far this season, scoring five goals and making a further four assists from midfield (Transfermarkt).

Thus, his stock is only going to rise, and so getting him for £20m now could turn out to be a real bargain in the future.

Everton fans laud Johnson transfer news

These supporters of the Merseyside club lauded the transfer news as it was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that he would be a ‘great signing’:

“We tried to get him a few years ago. Would be a great signing”

Credit: @lurker1878

“He’s got a bright future up ahead hopefully we can get him he’s gonna be a special player”

Credit: @jay_smith190

“Exactly the sort of signing we should be making.”

Credit: @efac1878

“Yes please”

Credit: @pinkusben2

“Type of player we should be after. Buy low, sell high.”

Credit: @CallumChadwick_

“You know if Benitez is actually looking at getting these less known and younger players in which could benefit us massively in the future I’m all for it. Hopefully we may have a strong second half of the season”

Credit: @bluetom_tom

In other news, find out what early team news before Burnley has Blues talking here!

After finishing in the top half of the table in their first season back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence, Leeds United’s current season has not been as smooth as most would have hoped for at the Yorkshire club.

With 18 games played, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have managed to win just three games whilst drawing seven and losing eight.

One big issue that Leeds have had to deal with this season is the fact that they have managed to concede 36 goals in those 18 games, leaving only Norwich City and Newcastle United, prior to their match against Manchester United, having conceded more.

Now that the January transfer window is set to open in a matter of days, this could give Bielsa the chance to fix some of the issues in his squad, particularly at the back, which the Whites are apparently looking to do.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, Leeds are monitoring the situation of Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon who the north London club are likely to allow to leave.

The claim states he could leave “on a short-term deal” in order  “to get game time as he has struggled for minutes this season.”

Fixing an issue

Since joining Tottenham back in October last year from Championship club Swansea City, the 24-year-old has only made 13 appearances in the Premier League with 12 of them being from last season.

Leeds currently have defender Liam Cooper out through injury, meaning this could be a smart move from the Yorkshire club to bring in a capable centre-back such as the £24k-per-week Rodon, who has some experience of playing in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho once labelled the centre-back as a “perfect” player which considering he’s coached defenders such as Sergio Ramos and John Terry among many others during his managerial career, is quite the statement.

Rodon could prove to be a better option for Leeds than current centre-back Robin Koch who struggled in his first game back for Leeds in their 4-1 defeat against Arsenal after recovering from injury.

He was completely dreadful vs the Gunners, earning a woeful SofaScore rating of 5.9 and completing an uncharacteristic and measly 77% of his passes.

Keep in mind that journalist Ian Mitchelmore once dubbed him as “flawless” and it’s clear to see why he’d bring a greater degree of solidity to Bielsa’s backline.

Even though the report suggests that Newcastle United are in the lead to secure Rodon’s signature next month, Victor Orta should do all he can to sign the defender to see if he can help fix Bielsa’s issue of seeing his side concede too many goals.

In other news: Orta heading for unforgivable Leeds transfer disaster on “relentless” £36m-rated star – opinion

Australia have almost ensured there will be no repeat of their first-round exit in this event last year

The Preview by Peter English04-May-2010Match FactsWednesday, May 5, Kensington Oval
Start time 1300 (1700 GMT)Bangladesh need a free-flowing Tamim Iqbal if they are to challenge Australia•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureAustralia have almost ensured there will be no repeat of their first-round exit in this event last year following their convincing performance against Pakistan on Sunday. The 34-run success means they will have to be embarrassed by Bangladesh to be knocked out during a game they hope will be played on a surface offering much more bounce that the pitches in St Lucia.

The group moves to Barbados for the final match of the opening phase and Bangladesh are praying for a strong victory in order to qualify. They were beaten by Pakistan by 21 runs on Saturday, leaving their net run-rate at -1.05, and are chasing a minor miracle given they have lost 11 Twenty20s in a row.Australia are now feeling like they would in a 50-over World Cup. A strong start has given them confidence and most of their major operators are in good touch. Shane Watson and David Hussey posted half-centuries against Pakistan while Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson combined for eight wickets. Johnson is in doubt for this match due to an elbow infection but if the attack clicks again a spot in the second round will be a formality.Form guide (most recent first) Australia WTWWW
Bangladesh LLLLL
Watch out for… Dirk Nannes continues to grow as a fast bowler and will enjoy running in at the Bangladeshis, who often struggle with shorter balls. Nannes provides potential for more discomfort by being a left-armer who operates around 150kph and can cramp the batsmen for room. He has played only six T20s for Australia since swapping from the Netherlands last year, and has taken at least a wicket in every innings, including 3 for 41 on Sunday.The best chance Bangladesh have is if Tamim Iqbal takes off. Tamim is capable of gorging on attacks and seems perfectly suited to Twenty20, but has struggled to go on and has a top score of 32 in 14 matches. A strike-rate of 93.68 is also well below par for a batsman of such aggressive quality and his country will be willing him to stand tall against Australia.Team newsJohnson is an uncertain starter after he left training on Tuesday to have medical treatment on an infection in his right elbow. “He could probably play if it was the World Cup final tomorrow, but there’s a lot of the tournament to go,” the team physio Alex Kountouris told AAP. That means Ryan Harris should be included for his first match after making a last-minute dash to the Caribbean to replace the injured Brett Lee. Nathan Hauritz, the offspinner, was left out of the opening match and should stay on the sidelines, especially if the pitch looks like helping the fast bowlers. Even if Johnson proves fit, Harris is an outside chance to come in, probably at the expense of Steven Smith. “With our squad we have the potential to change the team for conditions,” the captain Michael Clarke said. “If conditions suit another fast bowler in Barbados, I don’t see why not.”Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.It can’t be a great job selecting the Bangladesh XI. There are so many players capable of competitive bursts, yet so few positive results. The batting looks stronger than the bowling at the moment, so Syed Rasel may come into calculations.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Naeem Islam, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Abdur Razzak.Pitch and conditionsBefore the tournament began the Australians were thinking of using four fast men in Barbados, which they remembered as the quickest surface in the Caribbean. It’s unlikely they will employ that sort of attack now Lee has gone home, and talk of slower wickets at Kensington Oval will also reduce the chances of a pace quartet. The forecast is for scattered showers and a top of 30C.Stats and trivia The teams have played once in Twenty20s, with Australia winning by nine wickets at the 2007 tournament in South Africa. Australia have three men in the Caribbean who took part in that game, while Bangladesh have six Bangladesh haven’t won a T20 international since they beat West Indies in September 2007 Australia have not been defeated since their exit in last year’s tournament. Since then they have had a no result, an abandoned match, five wins and a one-over eliminator loss that is officially recorded as a tie. It’s their most successful streak in the formatQuotes”There’s probably extra motivation from within the squad. We want to perform better than we have in Twenty20 cricket in general, not just in this tournament.”
Michael Clarke’s side doesn’t want to be among the also-rans

“It’s going to be near impossible for us to get through. It’s not going to be of any use winning and not have the right margin. We’re going to need a reasonable run rate, that’s for sure.”
Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach

Everton have been very active already in the winter transfer window, securing the signings of two young defenders, Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko, while Rafa Benitez is rumoured to already have his eye on his third young player to bring into the team.

What’s the word?

According to journalist, Pete O’Rourke, Everton are eyeing up a potential move for Nottingham Forest’s James Garner in the January transfer window.

O’Rourke put out a tweet to his followers on Friday morning;

“Everton are eyeing a move for Manchester United midfielder James Garner who has impressed again on loan at Nottingham Forest in the first half of the season. #EFC #MUFC #NFFC”

The £3.6m-rated gem, who was previously hailed as “impressive” by team mate, Fred, is on loan from his parent club, Manchester United, at Nottingham Forest for a second season, and is rumoured to be catching the eye of the Merseyside club thanks to his impressive performances in the Championship, that have helped to put the side just six points shy of a playoff place.

Fans will be buzzing

Adding young prospects to the side is always a move that will leave fans buzzing, especially in this case, when you look at how well Garner is getting on at Forest this season.

The midfielder, who is originally from Birkenhead in Merseyside, has been putting on great performances, scoring five goals and bagging one assist from his central defensive position in the side since he joined on loan just under a year ago.

According to SofaScore, the defensive midfielder has been successful in an impressive 73% of his dribbles and has won a 52% majority of his duels, midfield attributes that could really benefit this defensively poor Everton side.

The Toffees have been leaking goals more than they have been scoring them in the Premier League this season, and adding that extra cover alongside Allan in midfield could really work wonders when attempting to control games better, especially when their current ball possession average is 39.7% and are losing possession of the ball 144.7 times on average per game, both of which are shocking statistics and need improvement.

Everton’s Spanish manager could make a great signing in Garner, especially when you look at his defensive midfield attributes, he could become a great asset for the club, and at just 20 years old, has the potential to grow into a fantastic player with the right guidance.

In other news: Benitez could make his third signing of the window in Dejan Kulusevski

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has called on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) to end their ongoing feud for the betterment of cricket in the region

Cricinfo staff11-Jun-2010Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has asked the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) to end their ongoing feud for the betterment of cricket in the region. She also called for the implementation of the PJ Patterson report, which, authored by the former Jamaican Prime Minister, had recommended changes to the governance of West Indies cricket.”I am calling on the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to improve their relationship in order to return cricket to its glory days. Both parties must have mutual trust, respect and full disclosure in order to achieve better relations,” Persad-Bissessar said in Port of Spain. “Blame is the comfort of the weak. Change is the name of a warrior, so we must be willing to make that change that would make a difference and not keep blaming each other.”The WIPA and the WICB have been at loggerheads over the issue of player contracts as well as the running of West Indies cricket. Their stand-off reached its peak when several senior West Indies players boycotted the Test series against Bangladesh at home in 2009, and missed the entire tour. A second-string team was chosen to play the series, eventually resulting in a series defeat in both the Tests and ODIs.”The game of cricket means so much to us, it defines us, it unites us and it gives us a sense of belonging. Caricom [The Caribbean Community] cannot produce anything that can resonate as cricket does in the region,” Persad-Bissessar added.In 2009, the PJ Patterson report had proposed the formation of a reconstituted body, West Indies cricket, consisting of a council and a board. The council, comprising 23 members – drawn from a wide cross-section of stakeholders – would meet once a year “to review all aspects of the game and its management”. The new board, to run the day-to-day affairs, would number 13 under a president, vice-president and chief executive, to be appointed by the council. However, there was no headway made. “The WICB should table the PJ Patterson report for discussion and see what can be implemented from it, instead of leaving it sealed,” Persad-Bissessar said.

Peter Siddle’s recovery from a stress fracture of the back is progressing, with the fast bowler returning to bowling in the nets and targeting an international return

Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2010Peter Siddle’s recovery from a stress fracture of the back is progressing, with the fast bowler returning to bowling in the nets and targeting an international return before the Ashes in Australia at the end of the year.Siddle, who had stress fractures early in his career and has also been troubled by his shoulder, has spent much of the time since his latest injury in February working on his fitness, training with Justin Cordy, the fitness specialist at AFL club Carlton who has also worked with the Australian national cricket side.”Probably the body over the last few years wasn’t in the shape that I would have liked and which probably is required to play Test cricket,” said Siddle. “If you look at Mitchell Johnson and the shape he is in, he has performed well for three years straight. He has been the only one up until now injury free.”Credit to him and the way he got his body ready. That’s something that I have worked hard on over the last few months. Hopefully I have done enough right.”While focussing on his fitness, Siddle has also made some minor adjustments to his bowling action and plans to work on adding a few new deliveries to his repertoire, specifically for use in the shorter formats of the game, as he sweats his way back to bowling fitness.”There has been a little bit that I have had to change but the biggest thing was when I got tired bowling those 20 to 25 overs in a day, the action changed slightly,” he said. “It’s just a matter of maintaining the strength and condition more than anything in those latter periods of the day.”As a fast bowler, you are always trying to work on some new trick, or something that you can add to your game. For me, it’s a little bit of swing and a few different things for Twenty20 cricket. It will be something that I will work on once I get back into the bowling phase of things and start getting back out into the nets again and try and progress into something new so when I come back I have that added extra.”

With Aston Villa spending a reported fee of £25m for the services of Lucas Digne this month as well as a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho and adding teenage defender Kerr Smith to their youth squad for an undisclosed fee, the Midlands club have had a very busy transfer window month so far.

With some time left before the market closes, Villa could still strengthen their squad even further and take their January spending up higher.

One player that has been linked with a move to Villa Park in recent weeks is Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa, who also goes by the name Gabigol.

Current Villa strikers Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins have managed to score nine goals between them in a combined total of 32 Premier League appearances this season but with the club letting go of Keinan Davis on loan to Nottingham Forest and Wesley on loan to Internacional, this could pave the way for Villa to add some depth up front with a player like Gabigol.

Having scored 129 goals in 263 club appearances across his career, the 25-year-old, who is currently earning £49k-per-week according to Salary Sport, certainly has the ability to be a regular goalscorer.

In terms of a potential move to Villa, with the club not being shy in spending money on new players, a move for Barbosa may not be a difficult one for the Midlands club to pull off from a financial point of view depending on how much Flamengo would want to sell him for.

Also, with the lure of being able to play in the Premier League under a figure such as Steven Gerrard alongside two of his fellow countrymen Coutinho and Douglas Luiz, a move to Villa could be very tempting for Barbosa.

Having been described as a player that “has everything to be the greatest striker in Flamengo’s history” by Zico, it would also be beneficial for the Villans if he can hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals.

Consider how Ings only managed to have 26 touches of the ball in 76 minutes in Villa’s recent 2-2 draw against Manchester United, Gabigol may not find it that difficult to get some game time in Gerrard’s side if the Englishman keeps putting in underwhelming performances like the one he did on Saturday evening.

As a result, Villa should definitely make an approach to Flamengo this month to see if they can sign Barbosa. Luring him to the Premier League would see them end their impressive January window on a high note with some extra attacking power to deliver a further transfer masterclass.

In other news: NSWE could blow Aston Villa fans away with move for £51k-p/w “pearl” likened to Zidane – opinion

Leeds United are not looking to sign former midfielder Ronaldo Vieira this month, according to The Mirror’s David Anderson.

The Lowdown: Italian reports

The Whites are looking to bring in two midfielders before the end of the month, with numerous updates emerging from Italy regarding Vieira.

The 23-year-old has recently returned to Sampdoria’s matchday squad following a lengthy period out through injury, with reports towards the end of 2021 suggesting Vieira was ‘ready to return home’ with his bags packed.

A recent story went as far as to say Leeds are ready to sign Vieira over the coming weeks, however, it doesn’t seem as if that will materialise after all.

The Latest: Anderson’s post

Anderson took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to provide an update on the Englishman.

This is what he had to say, revealing the Whites are not making a move for Vieira.

“I know Leeds fans would rather hear who they are trying to sign, but it is my understanding that they are not attempting to re-sign old boy Ronaldo Vieira.”

The Verdict: Correct call?

Leeds currently have Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton out injured, leaving them with just two out-and-out midfielders available.

Vieira’s last competitive appearance came way back in February though, so it wouldn’t make sense to bring an injury-hit midfielder to rescue Leeds’ injury-hit squad.

There’s no denying that the Whites need additions in the middle of the pitch before the month is out, however, they need to be the correct ones in both the short and long term, so it seems to be the right move to not pursue Vieira going off his recent injury woes.

In other news: ‘This is huge’ – BBC pundit reacts to ‘massive’ Leeds news he’s heard from Elland Road. 

South Africa inflicted a dispiriting series loss on West Indies at a venue that was once the home team’s fortress and finished the tour unbeaten

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya29-Jun-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details</a
How they were out
Hawk-eye
Morne Morkel polished off the West Indian tail in quick time•AFPSouth Africa inflicted a dispiriting series loss on West Indies at a venue that was once the home team’s fortress and finished the bilateral tour unbeaten. Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s hopes of compiling a competitive lead on the fourth morning were quashed by a menacing spell from Morne Morkel, who cut through the West Indies tail to ensure a quick end to their resistance.Chanderpaul had stood firm amid West Indies’ capitulation on the third day, and taken his team into the lead with support from Shane Shillingford, who was dismissed shortly before stumps. The men who followed, though, were unable to put up a fight.Morkel attacked Sulieman Benn from round the wicket, getting the ball to move both ways and troubling the left-hander who played and missed often. He was ultimately done in by one that nipped back in sharply to break through his defences and send the off stump cartwheeling. Kemar Roach followed soon after, edging a drive to Mark Boucher after a series of short balls.Chanderpaul had shown confidence in the tail, not hesitating to pick singles early in the over, but was left watching as his partners fell quickly. The debutant Brandon Bess poked a short-of-length delivery to slip, as Morkel polished off the tail in three overs, leaving South Africa just 47 to chase. Roach displayed plenty of aggression, nipping out three wickets, striking Graeme Smith on the neck with a bouncer, and even getting involved in an extended verbal exchange with Jacques Kallis. But the game was over and done with.The West Indies captain Chris Gayle had called on his batsmen to shoulder more responsibility during his team’s 5-0 debacle in the one-dayers. However, some of those who did play the Test series failed to fulfil to their role. Dale Richards, drafted in for this Test in place of Travis Dowlin, conceded his wicket cheaply in both innings, playing across the line to be trapped plumb, and spooning a catch off a needless pull.More worrying would be the case of Narsingh Deonarine. He had looked solid in the first innings before, inexplicably, switching to an aggressive approach to be bowled. In the second, he played a reckless drive first ball to offer a catch to short cover. Equally irresponsible was the dismissal of Denesh Ramdin, the former vice-captain, who slashed a wide delivery to the keeper in the second innings.Though South Africa’s pace attack had far more venom, the battle in the spin department was more evenly contested with each of the four frontline spinners in this Test extracting assistance from a gradually deteriorating track. The move to pick a spinner, Johan Botha, in place of left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, proved decisive for the visitors. And the seamers Dale Steyn and Morkel, on a pitch that was of lesser benefit to them than the slow bowlers, varied their lengths superbly, ruffling up the batsmen with the short deliveries and creating the temptation to play by pushing the odd one fuller.But while South Africa, with more assuredness in their batting and a generally superior outfit, were favourites throughout, their task was made easier by the reckless approach adopted by their opponents.