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A round-up of the twelfth-round matches of the Premier League Tournament in Sri Lanka

Sa'adi Thawfeeq05-Feb-2009
Colts were led from the front by Malinda Warnapura who scored 95 and 100 © AFP
Colombo Colts CC won the 2008-09 Premier League Tournament Tier A title, claiming first-innings points in a drawn match against Badureliya CC at Havelock Park. It was enough for Colts to replace Sinhalese SC as champions.Colts went into this game needing three points to win the crown and they did it in style with a tremendous batting performance on the opening day when they rattled off 426 runs off 88.4 overs. They were led from the front by Sri Lanka Test opener Malinda Warnapura, who missed out on twin tons in the match. He was dismissed for 95 in the first innings but made up by scoring an unbeaten 100 in the second. Jeevantha Kulatunga who led Colts during Warnapura’s absence and Thisara Perera also contributed half-centuries in the first innings.Badureliya resisted stoutly, causing concern in the Colts camp before they were dismissed for 347, conceding a lead of 79. Colts coach Romesh Kaluwitharana put down the championship victory to motivation and team work. “The team’s success was due to sheer commitment and hard work. The amount of talent and potential combined with great team work helped us overcome the challengers during the season.”We never depended on individual brilliance but always rallied around team work with significant contributions coming from the entire side,” said Kaluwitharana, under whose captaincy Colts last won the Premier title in 2004-05.He also paid tribute to seasoned campaigner Chaminda Vaas for his contribution to the Colts’ success. The Sri Lankan fast bowler wasn’t able to play much but offered useful advice at vital stages. It is Colts’ fourth Premier trophy title since 1998-99.Ragama CC ended the season in a flourish, beating Nondescripts CC by 149 runs to secure third place, the highest position they have achieved in the Premier Tier A league. They staged a grand fightback after conceding a three-run first-innings lead at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground. Their first innings was rocked by fast bowler Akalanka Ganegama, who picked up five wickets to send Ragama crashing to 155. However they hit back to bowl NCC out for 158 with Kaushalya Weeraratne picking up four wickets. In the second innings, Ragama put up a better batting performance declaring at 346 for 9 thanks to a century by Indika de Saram. NCC crumbled under pressure in the second innings; they were dismissed for 194 with spinners Ruwan Dilruk and Malinga Bandara taking seven wickets between them.Bloomfield also ended the season on a winning note, defeating Army SC by 130 runs in a low-scoring game at Panagoda. The most impressive performance came from the Army legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, who picked up 12 wickets – his first ten-for in a match, including career-best figures of 8 for 59 in the second innings.Cricketer of the Week – Seekkuge PrasannaAjantha Mendis’ success as a bowler in the Army, which eventually found him a place in the national team was partly due to his partner at the other end, Seekkuge Prasanna whose legspinners proved an ideal foil.Mendis’s unorthodoxy coupled with Prasanna’s guile and turn won Army the Premier Tier B title last season, earning them promotion to Tier A for 2008-09. With Mendis away on national duty, the responsibility fell on Prasanna. He played a lone hand but by the end of the season, Army again face relegation to Tier B having finished at the bottom of Tier A. But for 23-year-old Prasanna the season has been one of personal triumph. His match figures of 12 for 95 in the final match of the season against Bloomfield took him to the top of the pile as the season’s leading wicket-taker with 65 wickets (avg. 19.76) from 10 matches, nine more than Colts left-arm spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon. The Army’s coach Major General VR Silva thinks Prasanna has the potential to become an opening batsman and a very good legspinner.”Prasanna has all the shots in the book and the right temperament. His bowling is like that of Shane Warne and he is very deceptive,” Silva said. When India toured Sri Lanka last year, Prasanna dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for 69 in the three-day warm-up game; he treasures this scalp the most among his 135 first-class wickets.

Simon Katich hopes his Test opening partner Matthew Hayden does not walk away from the game in the next few weeks despite his disappointing returns this season. Hayden is on a family holiday this week and will consider his future, but Katich believes he still has plenty to offer at international level.”In the last Test in Sydney, particularly in that second innings, he seemed like he was his normal self, wanting to intimidate the opposition – and he did,” Katich told the . “Unfortunately, he didn’t convert that 39 into a bigger score. Had that happened we probably wouldn’t be making as much about it.”Hayden managed only 149 runs at 16.55 from five home Tests this season and the selectors will discuss whether to take him on next month’s tour of South Africa. However, Katich said it would be difficult for any new player to contribute as much to the top order as Hayden.”He’s a champion, he’s played for a long time and has an unbelievable record, so those of us who are now trying to fill the shoes at the top of the order find them big shoes to fill,” Katich said. “For me, it’s been great opening with him and I look forward to seeing him hopefully continue.”Phil Jaques will come into contention once he has some runs under his belt following his return from back surgery, while his New South Wales team-mate Phillip Hughes is a strong candidate thanks to his productive summer. Katich said it was a good thing there was so much competition for places in the Test side.”There’s plenty of guys putting their hands up for selection,” Katich said. “There’s always plenty of batsmen around Australia putting their hands up by making big runs so, as a batsman, you just have to keep trying to make good scores.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de acertar com o zagueiro Robert Arboleda, o meia Jonathan Gómez e volante Petros, o São Paulo pode trazer mais um reforço para o Morumbi. O clube está interessado no volante Matheus Jesus, da Ponte Preta.

O garoto de 20 anos é agenciado pelo mesmo empresário de Petros e esteve presente a reunião com a diretoria do São Paulo que definiu o acerto com o volante do Betis. Porém, os detalhes da negociação ainda seguem sob sigilo.

Matheus Jesus começou a carreira na base do Flamengo e estreou no profissional pela Ponte Preta em 2016. Ele teve passagem pela seleção brasileira sub-20 e chegou a ser sondado pelo Sporting (POR) no fim do ano passado, mas o negócio não avançou.

Ele sofreu uma lesão na mão no início do ano, precisou passar por cirurgia e ficou fora do Paulistão. De volta para o Brasileiro, Matheus ganhou destaque, mas foi afastado pela comissão técnica em maio, por questões disciplinares. Agora, pode ter a chance de recomeçar no Tricolor.

Além de dar mais opções a Ceni, a busca por volantes se justifica pela saída de João Schmidt, que já acertou com o Atalanta, da Itália. Depois de não conseguir trazer Fernando Bob, da Ponte, no início do mês – o Tricolor se recusou a arcar com uma dívida do Inter, dono dos direitos econômicos do jogador -, o São Paulo chegou a sondar Lucio Compagnucci, do Huracán (ARG), mas a negociação também não avançou.

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Marcus Bent reckons that failing to re-sign Gary Cahill is a massive mistake by his former side Crystal Palace.

Following two years with the Selhurst Park outfit, the experienced defender was released at the end of last season despite being offered a new contract.

Cahill missed 15 games last season with various muscle problems, but when fit, the former Chelsea and England man was a regular under Roy Hodgson – making 47 appearances across all competitions.

However, soon after his contract expired, and after Cahill had reportedly rejected a new deal, he confirmed his Palace exit on Twitter.

And whilst new manager Patrick Vieira has reacted to Cahill’s departure by bringing in Joachim Andersen from Lyon and highly-rated young Chelsea defender Marc Guehi, Bent couldn’t help but look back on a potentially poor decision from Palace.

When asked whether the Eagles might regret not keeping Cahill, he exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I love him to bits, Gary. I don’t know why he’s not at a top club in the Premier League. It’s a massive mistake, but maybe he wants to move.

“But, if they’ve not tried to give him the contract that he deserves, they’ve made a mistake because he’s a good player, season pro and he knows the game.”

Rangers have been heavily linked with SC Heerenveen midfielder Joey Veerman throughout the transfer window but it seems he is resigned to staying with the Eredivisie side, which is a blow to Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

What’s the word?

Rangers have been tracking the Dutchman for a number of months but Heerenveen were clearly not keen on selling one of their top prospects and have rejected bids from a number of clubs, which perhaps discouraged Rangers from acting further on their interest.

Veerman has now spoken out on his future, with AZ Alkmaar the latest side to see their advances turned down, saying:

“I am simply paid by Heerenveen. I am also a player of this club.

“It now takes another day and a half for the transfer window to [close], so it will be quite difficult to leave.

“I already knew about AZ’s offer two days earlier. It’s just before the transfer period, but I can’t change that.”

A blow for Rangers?

From Veerman’s quotes, it seems unlikely that he will leave the Eredivisie side before the transfer window shuts and unfortunately for Rangers, after their Champions League exit last month it was perhaps always going to be difficult to match Heerenveen’s asking price.

However, it is still a blow for Rangers that he won’t be joining, as his performances in the last two seasons suggest that he could have been a huge hit at Ibrox.

Last season saw the 22-year-old contribute seven goals and ten assists in 31 Dutch top-flight appearances, averaging a superb 7.40 rating from WhoScored for his performances, whilst he has two assists to his name in just three appearances so far this campaign.

Former Rangers man Michael Mols certainly rates Veerman highly, as he discussed whether or not he would be a good fit at Ibrox all the way back in April, saying:

“He is perfect with the ball and in possession, he’s a really great player. His passing and movement with the ball is really relaxed in a good way.”

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Therefore, it is a shame for Rangers that they couldn’t sign the £7.65m-rated Veerman this summer but after seeing links with him for the past few months, it seems as if any hope of him moving to Ibrox is over.

And, in other news… Rangers beast redeemed himself with superb Old Firm display

تعادل طلائع الجيش مع سموحة، بثلاثة أهداف لكل منهما، في المواجهة التي أقيمت اليوم الجمعة ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طلائع الجيش واجه سموحة، في إطار منافسات الجولة الـ22 من عمر مواجهات بطولة الدوري، على ملعب جهاز الرياضة العسكري.

وافتتح التسجيل فريق طلائع الجيش، عن طريق أحمد سمير من ركلة جزاء، وذلك في الدقيقة 42.

وعزز فريق طلائع الجيش من تقدمه عن طريق مهاجمه فيكتوري في الدقيقة 50 بعدما استقبل عرضية من الجانب الأيسر ووضع الكرة برأسه في مرمى الهاني سليمان.

طالع | وكيل مهند لاشين: ما قاله خالد الغندور غير صحيح.. وفيوتشر أنهى الصفقة في 7 ساعات

وعاد فريق سموحة وسجل هدفيين متتاليين، الأول عن طريق عبد الكبير الوداي من ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 55.

وفي الدقيقة 70 استطاع رجب نبيل تسجيل التعادل لـ سموحة، برأسية متقنة من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

وفي الدقيقة 82، احتسب حكم اللقاء محمود ناجي ركلة جزاء لفريق طلائع الجيش بعد عرقلة لـ أحمد سمير مهاجم الفريق العسكري داخل منطقة الجزاء.

واستطاع أحمد سمير ترجمة ركلة الجزاء إلي هدف ثالث لفريقه وثاني له في المباراة.

واحتسب الحكم محمود ناجي ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 96 لصالح سموحة، وسددها عبد الكبير الوادي ولكن محمد بسام حارس الجيش تصدي له، ولكن الحكم قرر إعادة تنفيذ ركلة الجزاء بسبب تحرك بسام، ليستطيع عبد الكبير الوادي من إحراز الهدف الثالث والتعادل لسموحة.

وبهذا التعادل، يحتل فريق سموحة المركز الخامس في ترتيب الدوري، برصيد 35 نقطة، بينما طلائع الجيش في المركز السادس بـ 35 نقطة. أهداف طلائع الجيش وسموحة في الدوري المصري

County cricket is set for a major overhaul from 2010 onwards and a report in has outlined some of main ideas that will be discussed. Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, is in favour of a conference-based Championship, a slight reduction in the number of four-day matches, and the creation of an English Premier League.There is plenty for the 18 counties to consider ahead of the meeting next month, but early indications are that Clarke’s proposals will draw decent support from the smaller counties, while the larger clubs could be more reticent.”There is some good stuff in there, and some original stuff which is good to see,” Mark Newton, the Worcestershire chief executive, told Cricinfo. “The County Championship must remain and I’m not too fussed whether it is 16 or 14 games, nor am I too fussed whether it’s conferences or two divisions. But what I will say is that two divisions has worked very well.”The major positive [with conferences] would be that every team starts even and has a chance of winning the Championship. It would also give you the chance to play more counties regularly, rather than missing out on facing some of the big teams.”Tom Richardson, the chief executive at Gloucestershire who have struggled to climb out of the second division, was even more fulsome in his support. “The great thing about the conference idea is, from a members point of view, that there will be the prospect of playing against a number of different teams each year,” he said.”The jury is still out on two division cricket. They say it has improved the England team, but there are many factors to put into that. The fact that counties have academies, the use of A-team tours, and counties sending players overseas in the winter. So it’s difficult to say that the evidence is there to fully support two divisions.”But David Harker, Durham’s chief executive, said that the two-divisional structure has done what it was meant to and made the Championship more competitive. “It is a though now as it’s ever been and that was the aim when two divisions were created, so any changes have to be thought through very carefully. It is about sustaining the long-term interest and that comes from the quality.”However, where there was a general consensus was over the need for some major restructuring to the one-day formats. “My feeling, and I’ve said it for a while, is that it’s the one-day game that needs changing,” said Newton. “I feel 50-over cricket has had its day, I’m a huge fan of the idea of two-innings one-day cricket and I think 40 overs should be the standard international format.””One key thing I feel is that one-day cricket needs to be played during June, July and August. It’s much easier to attract crowds then, unlike April or May,” added Richardson. “The Twenty20 also needs to be spread about a little more, it’s asking a lot of the supporters to watch five home games in a short space of time.”From our point of view, with the one-day international [against New Zealand] tomorrow, we haven’t been able to play a match at Bristol for a week and next week have three in four days. It’s partly self-inflicted, but it would be helped if it was spaced out a little.”One of the more radical ideas that Clarke might put forward to the counties is a draft-style system for the EPL, where players are loaned out from a central pool to even up the standard of the teams. “I like the idea of an EPL and possibly even a draft system for the players,” said Richardson. “I think having the top England players and international stars available would be brilliant for the game.”

Leeds United can finally land Manchester United’s Dan James amid a recent transfer twist in their pursuit of the winger.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Scottish Mail on Sunday (p129: 11/07), as transcribed by TBR Football, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are continuing to track the Wales international as they look to bolster their wide options ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

It was then suggested that Manchester United actually had no plans of letting James go this summer, despite the recent arrival of Borussia Dortmund flier Jadon Sancho.

However, ESPN now claim that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have had a change of heart, with the Welshman among a group of players who are now available for the right offer.

Bielsa really wants him

Speaking on his eponymous The Phil Hay Show, the journalist said: “That’s a question for Bielsa because Bielsa’s forever interested in Dan James, and you probably remember last summer that before they did the deal for Raphinha, they were looking into the possibility of bringing Dan James in on loan from Manchester United.

“I don’t think it was ever really a possibility because it didn’t seem as though Solskjaer wanted him to go. I get the feeling that Bielsa will consistently be interested in Dan James, because he was very big on him when Leeds nearly got him from Swansea.”

The £60m-rated winger is clearly someone for whom Bielsa has longed for a considerable time, especially given that the Whites were close to signing him when he was still at Swansea.

That extra pace and ability to be a real threat in the opposition box – he has managed six goals and seven assists in 48 Premier League games – could add another dimension to Leeds’ attack, particularly off the bench if Raphinha and Jack Harrison continue as the two starting wingers.

His Old Trafford teammate Andreas Pereira lauded the 23-year-old as being “explosive and so fast” in an interview with the club’s official website last season.

With Bielsa clearly desperate for him, this latest twist over James’ future should see Leeds finally pounce for the Welshman this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have had a bid accepted for this player…

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing emerging Valerenga goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Casilla set for Leeds exit

Illan Meslier was the Whites’ undisputed first-choice ‘keeper last season, with the young Frenchman continuing to go from strength to strength.

Meanwhile, veteran stopper Kiko Casilla had to largely watch on from the sidelines, making just three starts in the Premier League.

The 34-year-old has now sealed a season-long loan move for Spanish side Elche, meaning Marcelo Bielsa has to look for a replacement.

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The Latest: Whites line up Klaesson move

According to Nettavisen [via Sport Witness], Leeds are keen on signing 20-year-old Klaesson, who has already made 55 appearances for Valerenga.

You won’t often find Premier League teams shopping in the Norwegian Eliteserien, but the Whites are believed to have ‘shown interest’ over a ‘long period of time’, with an offer set to arrive in the near future.

While he is certainly not a household name, it is clear Victor Orta and co like what they see.

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The Verdict: Ideal Meslier backup

Klaesson looks a ‘keeper of great potential and he could be the ideal man to come in and act as Meslier’s deputy at Elland Road, given how many senior games he has already played at such a young age.

The Norwegian is still inexperienced in a top level league, but he can grow by working alongside Leeds’ No.1 and Bielsa, potentially filling in during domestic cup competitions next season.

It could even be that Klaesson is considered a future replacement for Meslier – as much as fans won’t like it, if the French starlet considers his drastic improvement from season to season he could have plenty of suitors in the coming years.

In other news, Leeds are believed to be interested in signing a Premier League attacker this summer. Find out who it is here.

Leeds Live’s Joe Donnohue has dropped a new transfer update on Leeds United’s pursuit of Wolves star Adama Traore.

What’s the story?

It was first suggested back in the closing months of 2020 that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were keen on luring the winger away from Molineux, but a deal failed to materialise by the end of the January transfer window deadline.

In recent weeks, 90min revealed that the Whites are considering making another attempt to sign the 25-year-old this time around, with Wolves now ready to listen to offers for the pacey winger.

But now, speaking on Leeds Live’s Facebook Page (via This is Futbol), Donnohue said: “What I will say is that it’s probably not a move which is very prudent in the eyes of Victor Orta or Marcelo Bielsa. He’s high energy, but in bursts – not over a 90-minute stint.

“I think we saw that at Wolves, Nuno (Espirito Santo) didn’t play him all the time, especially over the last year. I think that’s one that we can shelve; I think we can file that one in the extremely, extremely unlikely category.”

Fans will be gutted

With Donnohue now pouring cold water over a potential move for the Wolves flier, fans may be gutted at seeing their club’s plans to land Traore for the second successive transfer window fail to come to fruition.

Indeed, former Leeds man David Norris threw his backing behind a potential move for the Spaniard, telling FFC: “He (Bielsa) likes them attacking, exciting players that can create.

“They still must work hard, but the way he’s been in the last couple of seasons, and how much of a danger he is and how much he an create, I think that would be a great signing. Leeds are looking for top players and I think he’s a top player.”

A new dynamic winger to compete with the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison, and someone who’s proven in the Premier League given the time he’s spent here in English football, would have given Leeds another really exciting attacking option.

With his incredible pace and directness – he averaged the most dribbles per game out of anyone in the top-flight last season – Traore could have brought a game-changing dimension to the Whites, while he’s exactly the kind of player who gets people off their seats, much like a Raphinha.

Leeds fans may be very disappointed at seeing Traore stay put at Wolves.

Meanwhile, Radrizzani is now willing to sanction this Leeds swoop…