<img src="http://leicestershirefoxes.webs.com/LOGO2.jpg" align=left>>

Leicestershire are forced to make numerous changes to their side as they face Essex in the County Championship at Chelmsford tomorrow (Wednesday). Stuart Broad, Garnett Kruger and Mansoor Amjad are all missing, as Nick Walker, Claude Henderson, John Sadler and Jigar Naik are added to the squad.

Broad is obviously missing due to England commitments but Kruger's contract has now expired and he has returned to South Africa to prepare for the start of the domestic season. Hopefully Kruger will return next season under the Kolpak ruling, as he has shown, in glimpses, he is an effective fast bowler. Mansoor Amjad has returned to Pakistan after being selected for his country's A squad but his departure has to be looked on as a plus point for the County. The youngster should never have been signed as an overseas player in the first place as he is simply not good enough to justify being selected and Tim Boon's obsession with picking him ahead of Claude Henderson in the Championship is simply ridiculous.

Nick Walker returns to the pace attack after some impressive second team form and the same goes for John Sadler who has been piling on the runs for the 'reserves' and both deserve a chance once again. Tim Boon has bizarrely preferred Marc Rosenberg to Sadler recently, the question is why? Leicester born spinner Jigar Naik will be hoping he gets the nod and deserves a run in the team after impressing for the seconds. David Masters will line up against his new team mates but there will be no doubt that he will give anything less than his usual 110%!

Squad

John Maunders, Tom New, HD Ackerman, John Sadler, Marc Rosenberg, Jimmy Allenby, Paul Nixon (capt/wkt), Claude Henderson, David Masters, Jerome Taylor, Nick Walker, Jigar Naik.

David Masters has decided to leave Leicestershire at the end of the season to join Essex on a three year deal. The 29 year old seamer has decided to move back down south to be closer to his family after joining the County from Kent in 2003.

Masters has been a key member of the side over the last five seasons and he will be sorely missed. He has been one of the few successes for Leicestershire during a poor season and it would be no surprise to see him pick up the Player of the Year award for the second time. David's all round game has come on so much since signing for the County as he has developed into one of the Foxes best fielders and undoubtedly their most consistent bowler and his 'wonder catch' at the Oval in 2005 will never be forgotten! Masters will continue play for the County until the end of the season and will in fact line up against his new employers Essex in this week's Championship clash.

Masters cannot be blamed for wanting a future away from Grace Road as Leicestershire's weak squad have disappointed once again. Many of this season's signings have lacked ambition and many team selections have been bizarre and with Stuart Broad yet to commit to the club for next year, the future looks very bleak indeed.

Stuart Broad has been named in the England squad for the forthcoming Natwest series one-day series against the West Indies.

Broad, who celebrates his 21st birthday on Sunday, returns to the fold after a frustrating season in which he has suffered numerous injuries, and will now most likely miss most of Leicestershire's Twenty20 group campaign although he is available for tonight's clash with Yorkshire.

There is no place though for the evergreen Paul Nixon, as expected, Matt Prior is preferred behind the stumps, despite Nixon's superb form so far this season.

Paul Collingwood has deservedly been named as England's new one-day skipper, succeeding the ousted Michael Vaughan and there are call ups for two 'foreigners', Australian Dmitri Mascarenhas and South African Jonathan Trott. The vastly overrated Michael Yardy is also included in the squad, despite being a very average batsman and part-time spinner!

England Squad

Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior (wkt), Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Jonathan Trott, Michael Yardy.

HD Ackerman scored 84 as Leicestershire beat a PCA Masters XI by 38 runs in Twenty20 warm up match at Grace Road.

The game formed part of Paul Nixon's benefit and although the wicketkeeper was away with the England Lions, he was expected back from Worcester in time to sit down for dinner at Grace Road!

The PCA Masters - named after David Masters (I'm lying) - included past stars such as Sherwin Campbell, Devon Malcolm, Chris Lewis, Nick Knight and Peter 'Screaming Lord' Such in their line up of veterans. John Sadler chipped in with 36 as Garnett Kruger proved his fitness by taking the wickets of openers Jason Gallian and Darren Bicknell.

Meanwhile, Nixon and Stuart Broad were on the losing side as the England Lions were beaten by the West Indies in a rain reduced 24 over a side match at Worcester.

Broad took a wicket but took some harsh punishment as Nixon only faced 2 balls finishing unbeaten without scoring.

England Scorecard

Stuart Broad and Paul Nixon were both expected to start for the newly formed 'England Lions' today in a one day match with the West Indies at New Road, Worcester.

The England Lions is the new name for England A and they name a strong and experienced squad for the one off match. Vikram Solanki skippers the side on home turf, as Jimmy Anderson, Ed Joyce and Owais Shah are all included.

Both Broad and Nixon, barring injury, will thankfully be available for the Foxes Twenty20 opener at Grace Road versus Yorkshire tomorrow (Friday).

Meanwhile, Leicestershire entertain a PCA Masters XI in a Twenty20 warm up match at Grace Road this afternoon.

The match is forms part of Paul Nixon's benefit year but with his England Lions commitments, the great man himself will not be in attendance! Tim Boon is expected to give Garnett Kruger a chance to prove his fitness ahead of tomorrow's near sell out clash.

Day 1

Northants 1^st Innings - 53-3

Only 18 overs were possible today, due to rain as David Masters claimed the two early wickets of  Stephen Peters and Usman Afzaal.

Day 2

Northants 1^st Innings – 171-6

More rain reduced the possibility of the outcome of a positive result for either side as only 31 overs were possible. Northants skipper David Sales remained unbeaten on 72 and Steven Crook on 32.

Day 3

Northants 1^st Innings – 251 all out (Sales 92, Masters 5-59)

Leicestershire 1^st Innings – 131-4 dec (Allenby 30 not out)

Northants 2^nd Innings – 99-4

At last, a full day’s play! David Masters was the star for Leicestershire by claiming 5-59 as Northants were finally all out for 251 as David Sales hit a battling 92.

Tom New, John Maunders and HD Ackerman all got starts for the Foxes but they soon found themselves struggling as usual at 73-4 until Jimmy Allenby (30 not out) and Paul Nixon (25 not out) steadied the ship and at 131-4 a declaration was made by Darren Robinson to try and give this match a positive ending, one way or the other.

Batting for the second time today, Northants struggled just like the County. Leicestershire’s seamers, knocked over their first four wickets fro 67 runs and at close of play the home side were 99-4 and with a lead of 219 going into the final day.

Day 4

Northants 2^nd Innings – 171-7 (Walker 3-47)

Match Drawn

Northants 7 points, Leicestershire 7 points

After dodging the rain on day three, this was not to be the case on the final day, as by lunchtime a torrential downpour ended this match prematurely. At this point, Northants had built up a considerable lead and the chances of Leicestershire getting the win would have been minimal anyway! Nick Walker managed to claim a neat 3-47 in the morning before the rain came down on this frustrating game.

Player Ratings

Robinson 5, New 6, Maunders 5, Ackerman 5, Jacobs 4, Allenby 7, Nixon 7, Henderson 5, Broad 7, Masters 9*, Walker 7.

Scorecard

Derbyshire - 246-7 from 50 overs (Allenby 5-43, Pipe 83)

Leicestershire - 239-1 from 42.1 overs (Sadler 113 not out, Maunders 109 not out)

Leicestershire won by 9 wickets with 35 balls remaining (Duckworth/Lewis Method)

Superb performances from John Maunders, John Sadler and Jimmy Allenby led Leicestershire to an emphatic victory over local rivals Derbyshire at Grace Road in their final Friends Provident Trophy match of the season. Allenby claimed one day career best bowling figures of 5-43 and Maunders and Sadler re-wrote the record books as the pair each recorded their maiden one day centuries.

After Derbyshire had won the toss and elected to bat, opening bowlers Stuart Broad and Nick Walker found the going tough as opening batters Dan Birch and Steve Stubbings shared in a fluent stand of 54. Although Broad still looked far from his best, he did claim the first scalp, clean bowling Stubbings for 23. The decisive factor in the innings though was the introduction of David Masters and Jimmy Allenby to the bowling attack. Masters struck early in his first spell to remove Aussie Travis Birt for just 9 and then a burst of three quick wickets by all rounder Allenby reduced the visitors to 110-5. Masters bowled superbly to claim 1-22 from his 10 overs but after Allenby's withdrawal from the attack (his final two overs to be saved for bowling at the death) Derbyshire got themselves back into the game. Ant Botha and David Pipe shared in an innings saving sixth wicket stand of 133 as they served up some rather harsh punishment to spinners Jeremy Snape and Claude Henderson. The experienced pair were hit at over eight an over as Derbyshire came back from the dead and it was only the return of Allenby at the death that stopped the rot. After claiming three wickets in his first spell, Allenby returned to remove Pipe for a fine 83 and then Graham Wagg for a first ball duck. Allenby's 5-43 was most definitely the highlight of the innings and David Masters' economical 1-22 shows he is back to full fitness as Derbyshire totalled 246-7.

After the so many failings with the bat this season, many County fans could be forgiven for not having having much confidence in their team as John Maunders and Paul Harrison stepped upto the crease and with just ten on the board, it looked like normal service was resumed. Harrison missed his big chance as he fell to Wagg for just three but what happened next was not to be expected. Good friends John Maunders and John Sadler re-wrote the record books as they shared in an incredible stand of 229 for the second wicket! It broke a 21 year old record of 209 between legends Peter Willey and David Gower, as the highest ever stand by two Leicestershire players in a 50 over match!

Not content with breaking records, Maunders and Sadler both scored their first ever one-day centuries and as both have had disappointing seasons so far, hopefully this will kick start their year. Despite a short shower, meaning that Jack Duckworth and Lewis(!) set a revised target of 238 from 48 overs, this did not deter the pair who batted batted beautifully. Maunders finished unbeaten on 109 and Dasler 113 not out as the County achieved their new target, with just under six overs remaining, to complete a right old thrashing! It was just a pity that the County cannot produce this kind of performance when it actually means something but that does not take anything away from the outstanding trio of Munders, Sadler and Allenby. It reamins to be see though, when the pressure is back on, whether the Foxes can handle it and perform to this kind of standard.

Player Ratings

Maunders 10, Harrison 5, Sadler 10, Allenby 10, Nixon 6, Snape 5, Rosenberg 6, Henderson 5, Broad 6, Masters 8, Walker 5.

Scorecard

After the humiliating defeat at Taunton, Leicestershire will give chances to some of their younger fringe players as they entertain Derbyshire in their final Friends Provident Trophy match of the season.

Batsmen Paul Harrison and Marc Rosenberg, all rounder Dan Rowe and left arm seamer Harry Gurney are all included in the squad for a match that is meaningless as neither side can qualify for the next stage. Thankfully Claude Henderson also returns to the side after being ridiculously dropped for the trip to Taunton as Darren Robinson and Mansoor Amjad are left out and HD Ackerman is rested.

Squad

Paul Harrison, John Maunders, John Sadler, Jimmy Allenby, Paul Nixon (wkt), Marc Rosenberg, Jeremy Snape (capt), Claude Henderson, Stuart Broad, Dan Rowe, Nick Walker, David Msters, Harry Gurney.

Day 1

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 168 all out (Jones 6-61)

Somerset 1st Innings - 357-1 (Trescothick 153 not out, Edwards 133)

A truely awful Leicestershire performance left them heading for defeat at Taunton at the end of the first day! There were no excuses for the County's simply dreadful batting and bowling as this season goes from bad to worse as the Foxes are still looking for their first win in the Championship in 2007.

After winning the toss and electing to bat on the most batsman friendly and smallest pitch in the country, Leicestershire embarrasingly crumbled to 168 all out as Stefan Jones ripped through the innings with 6-61. Tom New (33), HD Ackerman (23), Arno Jacobs (22) and Jimmy Allenby with 20 all made starts but failed to build on this as Darren Robinson, John Maunders, Mansoor Amjad and David Masters all failed to reach double figures. It was left to batsman number 11 Nick Walker to finally show some spirit as he blasted 28 from 19 balls but by this time the damage had already been done as the County were all out for a paltry 168.

The extent of the County's ineptitude was even more evident as Somerset made the most of the glorious batting conditions by treating their innings like a one day match. The hosts raced out of the blocks as Marcus Trescothick and Neil Edwards punished some woeful Leicestershire bowling to put on a massive opening stand of 233. Stuart Broad, Nick Walker and Mansoor Amjad were shown no mercy as they were being launched to all parts of the ground and only David Masters and Jimmy Allenby emerged with any credit, as they kept their economy rates below four an over. Indeed it was Masters who finally gave the Foxes their first wicket having Edwards caught by Robinson for 133. This did not hold up Somerset as they raced along at six an over and by close Trescothick was unbeaten on 153 and was backed up by James Hildreth's 55 not out.

This has to go down as one of the worst day's performances by Leicestershire in a very long time but who can honestly say this is a surprise? We have had it coming.

Day 2

Somerset 1st Innings - 675-5 dec (Trescothick 182, Hildreth 163, White 114)

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 188-8 (Amjad 46, Allenby 43, Caddick 3-17)

If you thought it couldn't get worse after day one, then think again! The match is very nearly over in just over two days as Leicestershire were once again subjected to humiliation. In fact the only positive thing you can take from today is the fact that the County just managed to avoid the heaviest defeat in their history - which was a an innings and 311 defeat to Yorkshire at Aylestone Road in 1908!

Resuming on 357-1, Somerset continued to dominate as James Hildreth and Cameron White made centuries as their top four batsmen hit the magical three figures - a club record. David Masters claimed the first wicket of the day, removing Trescothick for 182 and then Stuart Broad finally got his act together, picking up the wickets of Hildreth and White before Masters rounded off the wicket taking by removing 'keeper Craig Kieswetter for a breezy 36. By this time Somerset had amassed 675-5 and their skipper Justin Langer decided to declare and the Australian star was so impressed by his sides performance that he had elected not to bother batting himself!

Faced with the impossible task of saving this match, Leicestershire humiliated themselves even further with some simply shocking batting. Tom New, Darren Robinson, John Maunders and HD Ackerman all fell for measly scores and after Arno Jacobs had made 23 and Paul Nixon (18) the County were at an embarrassing 85-6. It was upto Jimmy Allenby and Mansoor Amjad to restore some kind of order to take the County past the heaviest defeat in their history. Allenby made 43 and Amjad, 46, but neither ould hold their nerve and go on to pass fifty and by the close of play Leicestershire were 188-8 and massive 318 runs behind Somerset's first innings total.

Day 3

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 248 all out

Somerset won by an innings and 259 runs

Somerset 22 points, Leicestershire 1 point

As expected, day three did not last for too long despite some good work by David Masters and Stuart Broad with the bat. Broad made 35 and Masters an unbeaten 31 as the Foxes were all out for 248, losing by a massive innings and 259 runs.

It gave Somerset plenty of time to have a knees up in celebration but on the other hand there will be time for Leicestershire to reflect on one of the worst defeats in their history. I would like to know where we go from here as too many batsmen have under-performed this season. Surely Tim Boon should be doing everything in his power to get in a decent overseas batsmen but then again would it surprise anyone if he opted for yet another bowler?

Team ratings:

Robinson 3, New 5, Maunders 3, Ackerman 4, Jacobs 5, Allenby 7, Nixon 5, Amjad 6, Broad 5, Masters 7, Walker 5.

Scorecard

David Masters and Stuart Broad both return to the Championship side to face Somerset at Taunton after coming through the FP Trophy defeat to Nottinghamshire with no ill effects.

John Maunders and Arno Jacobs also return to the side as Dan Rowe is misses out and most alarmingly Claude Henderson is dropped. The South African spinner, who is the County's leading wicket taker this season in first class cricket with 17 dismissals, misses out out as overseas spinner Mansoor Amjad is preferred.

I am totally baffled by the decision to drop Claude. Does Tim Boon really believe that Amjad is a better spinner than Henderson? I think not! Just because Amjad is an overseas player this should not make him immune from being left out of the side and certainly should not be in the team at the expense of one of our best and most consistent players. Despite missing around three weeks of action after having to return to South Africa to be with his sick mother, Claude is still our leading wicket taker! Amjad is classed as an all rounder, but I believe that Henderson has more to offer with the bat as well as much more with the ball.

This is yet another bizarre decision from coach Tim Boon and if his selection of Amjad over Henderson does prove to be a massive error, then he has got to hold his hands up and take responsibility and give us an explanation.

Team:

Darren Robinson (capt), John Maunders, Tom New, HD Ackerman, Arno Jacobs, Paul Nixon (wkt), Jimmy Allenby, Mansoor Amjad, Stuart Broad, David Masters, Nick Walker.

Nottinghamshire - 299-5 (Fleming 107)

Leicestershire - 275-7 (Ackerman 72, Nixon 57 not out, Clough 4-43)

Nottinghamshire won by 24 runs

Leicestershire realistically waved goodbye to their hopes of qualifying for the semi final stage after defeat to Notts at Oakham. After winning the toss, skipper Jeremy Snape made the odd decision of electing to field on a batsman friendly wicket and this was to prove decisive as the County unsuccessfully chased a massive target of 300.

Stuart Broad and David Masters returned to the side and it was Broad who showed he is not quite ready for first team action as he sent down 10 wides! Despite this, the youngster claimed the first wicket of Bilal Shafayat for 14 but a stand of 153 between Stephen Fleming and Mark Wagh set the tone for the visitors innings. Only David Masters, who bowled economically and Claude Henderson who claimed 2-59 proved effective as Nick Walker, Jimmy Allenby, Mansoor Amjad and Jeremy Snape were dealt particular punishment.

Henderson first victim was Fleming, who became one of Allenby's three catches, who made a wonderful 107 from just 97 balls and then the South African removed David Hussey, who made a quickfire 31. Nick Walker had Wagh caught by Allenby for 81 but late flurries from Samit Patel, Chris Read and Mrk Ealham contributed in Notts achieving 299-5 from their 50 overs.

The County were faced with the daunting task of chasing 300 to win but did set off on the right note. John Maunders and HD Ackerman shared in a rapid stand of 93 before the former fell to Clough for 33. Ackerman, who had dominated the stand, finally found some form with the bat, as he made a 71 ball 72 before being brilliantly run out by Clough. John Sadler (11) and Jimy Allenby (18) both got starts before falling cheaply before Paul Nixon and Jeremy Snape shared in a stand of 62 to stabilise the innings. Unfortunately the experienced pair found it hard to get the disciplined Notts bowling attack away for any boundaries and the run rate increased rapidly as each over passed. After Clough had Snape caught y Shreck for 32, Nick Walker was sent in and hit a whirlwind 22 before becoming Clough's fourth victim. A big six by Amjad was quickly forgotten after he was bwoled by Ealham for 7 and by the time Claude Henderson arrived at the crease the run rate was just too high to match. When the fifty overs were up, the County fell 25 runs short of their target as Nixon remained unbeaten on 57 and Henderson not out with 14.

The crowd was treated to a high scoring affair but the decisive factor in this match was the toss and if the Foxes had elected to bat first, the result could have been very different. Chasing 300 for victory was always going to have a psychological barrier and with the freedom of batting first and not having to chase a target, the pressure would not have been as great.

Player Ratings

Maunders 7, Ackerman 8*, Sadler 5, Allenby 6, Nixon 8, Snape 6, Walker 6, Amjad 5, Broad 5, Henderson 7, Masters 7. 

Scorecard

Stuart Broad and David Masters are set to go straight into the side as Leicestershire entertain Nottinghamshire at Oakham School in the crunch Friends Provident Trophy match.

Both Broad and Masters got a workout in the Second team's win over Yorkshire last week as the County need a win to stand any chance of qualifying for the semi final stage.

Arno Jacobs is unavailable due to the fact he has represented Scotland in the competition already this season and Garnett Kruger is a doubt after dislocating his thumb in the Championship draw. Skipper Jeremy Snape and John Sadler will both return to the side and the County could go for a three pronged spin attack of Snape, Mansoor Amjad and Claude Henderson.

Likely Team

New, Robinson, Ackerman, Allenby, Nixon (wkt), Snape (capt), Sadler, Amjad, Henderson, Broad, Masters.

Day 1

No play due to rain

Day 2

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 147-4 (New 51)

After much frustration, the match finally got underway with the County being put into bat by Notts skipper Stephen Fleming. Despite ducks from Darren Robinson and Arno Jacobs and another disappointing score from HD Ackerman, Tom New held firm to pass 500 first class runs for the season and registered yet another half century before falling to Paul Franks for 51. Pul Nixon (30 not out) and Jimmy Allenby (21 not out) looked in good nick at close with the County at 147-4.

Day 3

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 364 all out (Nixon 98, Allenby 93, Shreck 5-97)

Nottinghamshire 1st Innings - 102-3 dec (Kruger 2-32)

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 101-3

Finally, an uninterrupted day and what an evenful day it was. Leicestershire knocked off an impressive 364 all out as Paul Nixon and Jimmy Allenby dominated but both will be kicking themselves because they didn't reach the magical three figures. The pair shared in a stand of 172 before the aggressor of the two Allenby, fell to Mark Footitt for 93 and Nixon followed shortly afterwards for 98. The wickets then began to tumble as only Claude Henderson could add a score of note by making 32 as the Foxes were all out for 364.

Nottinghamshire's reply started shakily as Garnett Kruger claimed his first wicket's in a Leicestershire shirt, removing both openers Jason Gallian and Bila Shafayat and then Dan Rowe had the vistors 71-3 as he bowled Mark Wagh just 4. Skipper Stephen Fleming then added at 33 ball 32 before making a decision that could bring a positive outcome for the match, a declaration at 102-3.

So for the second time today, Leicestershire stepped upto the crease and progressed at a rapid rate despite the loss of Tom New (14), Darren Robinson (7) and HD Ackerman for 20 and at close the County had stabilised at 101-3 with Arno Jacobs unbeaten on 32.

Day 4

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 114-3 dec (Jacobs 39 not out)

Nottinghamshire 2nd Innings - 363-8 (Hussey 79, Wagh 78, Walker 4-70)

Match Drawn

Leicestershire 9 points, Nottinghamshire 7 points

Such an exciting finish could never been envisaged after the rain washed out the first day, but the County really should have taken the victory as some woeful fielding gave Notts a sniff of a win.

Resuming on 101-3, the Foxes only bated for three more overs before declaring at 114-3 with Arno Jacobs unbeaten on 39 and Paul Nixon not out with 20, setting Notts 377 for victory.

Notts started slowly but steadily as the opening pair of Bilal Shafayat and Jason Gallian amassed 123 between them before leg spinner Mansoor Amjad had Shafayat caught by Garnett Kruger for 45. The joy a wicket quickly turned to disappointment as Kruger dislocated his thumb in the process and was unable to bowl for the rest of the innings. Although he could not blame the injury for his 'foot fault's' as before hand he no-balled 8 times and totalled 13 no-balls in the match!

Gallian followed shortly after as Nick Walker had the Australian born batsman caught by Jacobs for 60. Stepehn Fleming was then removed by Claude Henderson for 17 and the County started to get a faint smell of victory although this was soon extinguished by a stand of 126 between Mark Wagh and David Hussey. This should have not have been the case though as Walker dropped dangerman Hussey twice and the Australian made the Foxes pay as he hit a fast and furious knock. Then came some hope, Amjad had Wagh caught behind by Nixon for 78 and then almost immediately afterwards Dan Rowe had star player Hussey caught behind once again by Nixon. With the two in form batsmen back in the pavillion, the smell of victory was once again back and Nick Walker got the bit between his teeth and claimed the three quick wickets of Paul Franks, Mark Ealham and Graham Swann to leave Notts at 361-8 - 16 runs from victory but on the other hand Leicesterire were only two wickets way from winning. But as the wickets had tumbled, overs and time were ticking away and once the the minimum 91st over had been bowled, the umpires decided enough was enough and called the match a draw.

It is rare that a Championship gets this close, but with the weather good the crowd were treated to an enthralling final day and hopefully the crowds will be out in force for the massive FP Trophy clash on Sunday.

Player Ratings

New 8, Robinson 4, Ackerman 5, Jacobs 6, Nixon 9*, Allenby 9, Amjad 6, Henderson 6, Rowe 6, Walker 8, Kruger 7.

Scorecard

Leicestershire's hopes of a double bank holiday win in the FP Trophy were dashed due to heavy rain causing washouts of the trip to Northants and the home match with Lancashire.

Not a single ball was bowled in either match, which left the County frustrated as they attempt to qualify for the next stage.

Both David Masters and Stuart Broad were expected to play a part in one of these matches, but a stint in the seconds looks likely for the pair as they are not fit enough to play in a first class match just yet.

With the Oakham School festival approaching, Leicestershire will be hoping for better weather as they entertain local rivals Nottinghamshire.

Garnett Kruger has become Leicestershire's fourth Kolpak signing after agreeing a two month contract at Grace Road. The 30 year old fast bowler joins fellow South African's HD Ackerman, Claude Henderson and Arno Jacobs at the County under the controversial ruling.

Kruger originally signed for Leicestershire back in 2004 as an overseas player, but was injured before ever making an appearance for the County and he was replaced by Mark Cleary. As well as having vast experience in domestic cricket in South Africa, Kruger has represented his country in three one-day internationals and one Twenty20 international.

His signing on a Kolpak means that Leicestershire still have the option of bringing in another overseas player, after Charl Langeveldt's spell with the club ended last week.

The signings of Jacobs and Kruger over the last few weeks gives the impression that Foxes coach Tim Boon is panicking and has finally realised what we all knew at the start of the season, that the squad is not strong enough. The two Kolpak signings have struck me as rather odd and it is a turnaround for Tim Boon who has always been a campaigner of blooding young English qualified players.

Without doubt the two South Africans are impressive signings, but why were these moves not made before the start of the season? With an overseas slot now available again, can we please fill this with a quality batsman please!

Team

Paul Harrison, John Maunders (capt), Arno Jacobs, Jim Allenby, John Sadler, Marc Rosenberg, Tom New (wkt), Claude Henderson, Dan Rowe, Ryan Cummins, Sam Cliff.

Day 1

Oxford UCCE 1st Innings - 205 all out (Young 54, Henderson 5-56, Rowe 3-50)

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 61-3

Day 2

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 384-9 dec (New 125)

Oxford UCCE 2nd Innings - 25-1

Day 3

Oxford UCCE 2nd Innings - 165 all out (Rowe 5-61, Henderson 4-44)

Leicestershire won by an innings and 14 runs

Scorecard

Warwickshire - 265-7 (Ambrose 58, Maddy 50, Allenby 2-47)

Leicestershire - 206 all out (Nixon 59, Snape 58, Steyn 5-29)

Warwickshire won by 59 runs

Player Ratings

New 4, Robinson 5, Ackerman 4, Allenby 6, Nixon 8, Sadler 4, Snape 9*, Amjad 8, Walker 6, Cummins 5, Langeveldt 6.

Scorecard

Day 1

No play due to rain.

Day 2

No play due to rain.

Day 3

Leicester 1st Innings - 335 all out (Nixon 85, Rowe 85)

Essex 1st Innings - 39-3 (Walker 2-18)

After losing two days due to the bad weather, play finally got underway on Friday morning as Essex won the toss and elected to field. With just one run on the board, Tom New was bowled leg before by Graham Napier for 0 to get Leicestershire off to the worst possible start. Shortly afterwards, after making a good start, HD Ackerman was caught by Chopra off Napier once again for 20, and anotehr good start for Jimmy Allenby resulted in him being dismissed by Ravi Bopara for 21. With the score at 67-3 and with three batsmen failing once again, Darren Robinson and Paul Nixon put on 55 for the fourth wicket before Robinson was dismissed by Nel for a pateint 43. nother collapse then followed as Marc Rosenberg was caught behind by part-time 'keeper Mark Pettini off Nel for a first ball duck and John Sadler (15) and Mansoor Amjad (9) both fell to Andew McGarry to leave the County in the fimiliar position of 177-7.

Enter Dan Rowe, who was making his debut Championship appearance. The 23 year old Welshman has been touted as a geniune all rounder and he showed that this may very well be true. He proved to be the perfect ally for the more patient Paul Nixon as he smashed a fantastic 85 from just 69 balls, hitting 14 fours and a six. Nixon had held the innings together, also making a typically dogged 85 but it was Rowe who dominated their innings saving partnership of 106. Once Nixon had fallen to Danish Kaneria, who had been showed no respect by the rampant Rowe, Nick Walker provided a delighful cameo of 31 from just 15 balls, which included four massive sixes, before being bowled by Napier. Rowe, in the meantime, ran out of luck, as he was clean bowled by Ryan ten Doeschate but Charl Langeveldt weighed in with an unbeaten 10 at the end to give the County a more respectable 335 all out.

As the Essex batsmen arrived at the crease, they were shell shocked to find themselves at 7-3 in no time as Walker Claimed the wickets of Vikram Chopra and Pettini and Langeveldt removed England man Bopara. Skipper Ronnie Irani dug dup to remain 27 not out at close with the visitors at 39-3.

With only one day left to play, a draw seems the only logical result, but after last season's final match victory, also against Essex, anything is possible. The day certainly belonged to debutant Dan Rowe and this is good news for Leicestershire as it show's that we have able young players coming up through the second team.

Day 4

Essex 2nd Innings- 201 all out (Pettini 72, Langeveldt 4-41, Walker 3-55)

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 56-0 (New 41 not out)

Match drawn- Leicestershire 10 Points, Essex 8 Points

Graham Napier's dazzling 72 helped Essex to a draw after it looked like they were heading for defeat. The all rounder smashed 7 sixes as he took Essex to 201 all out and to avoid the follow on. Charl Langeveldt claimed his best ever Leicestershire return with 4-41 but it was Napier who stole the show with some help from the lower order.

After setting off at a brisk pace the rain came down to interrupt proceedings, meaning that there was not enough time for the County to set Essex a target. Leicestershire declared their innings during late afternoon to end the match as a draw as Tom New remained unbeaten on 41 not out.

After losing the first two days to rain the draw was inevitible but the major plus point of the match was the emergence of all rounder Dan Rowe, who looks like he could play a major part this season.

Player Ratings

Robinson 7, New 7, Ackerman 6, Allenby 6, Sadler 5, Rosenberg 4, Nixon 8, Amjad 5, Rowe 9*, Walker 8, Langeveldt 8. 

Scorecard

South African batsman Arno Jacobs has signed for Leicestershire as a Kolpak player. The 30 year old, recently scored 49 against the Foxes for Scotland in the FPT Trophy where he was one of their overseas players and comes highly recommended by HD Ackerman who is a team mate of Jacobs back in South Africa with the Warriors.

Jacobs has impressive career averages of 38.42 in first class cricket and 33.53 in one-day cricket and aswell as being able to keep wicket on occasions he also bowls off spin and his bowling has proved particularly effective in the Twenty20.

This sort of signing really should have been made before the start of season as the County's batting line up was evidently not strong enough and after some woeful Championship batting performances, coach Tim Boon seems to have back tracked on his philosophies. At the end of last season, it seemed obvious the Boon had decided to concentrate on developing English qualified talent and now with the signing of Jacobs, it looks like the Leicestershire coach has now seen what was pretty evident to everyone else, that the batting is not strong enough!

I welcome the signing of Jacobs but wish that Tim Boon had strengthened the batting before the start of season.

Arno Jacobs Profile

Meanwhile, Leicestershire overseas seamer RP Singh, looks likely to be part of India's plans over the summer and this looks set to end his spell with the County.

The 21 year old made an impressive start to his Foxes career before being called up by his nation for the one-day series with Bangladesh and has now been placed on standby for the test series and with India set to tour England later this season, Singh will no doubt be part of their plans. His locum replacement at the County, South African Charl Langeveldt, ends his three week spell with the Foxes at the weekend and this now leaves Leicestershire looking for yet another overseas player.

As I mentioned at the start of the season, why on earth are we signing an overseas player who will no doubt be unavailable for most of the season? From day one, it was always a possibility that Singh would be called up by India so why didn't we sign someone with no international commitments? It is not good for the side having to constantly chop and change overseas players and what we need now is to sign someone who will be 100% available for the rest of the season.

Any thoughts on who we should sign?

Marc Rosenberg returns to the Leicestershire squad as they entertain Essex in the LV Championship at Grace Road.

The 25 year old replaces the out of form John Sadler in a bid to cure the poor batting performances that the County have displayed in the Championship this season. Rosenberg certainly impressed on his Champiohsip debut at Bristol two weeks ago and has also been in fine form for the seconds, hitting a quick fire century against Surrey last week.

Fast bowler Dan Rowe also comes into the side at the expense of Ryan Cummins and will make his Championship debut.

Changes needed to be made and the inclusion of Rosenberg will hopefully give the County the boost they so desperately require.

Team

Darren Robinson (capt), John Maunders, Tom New, HD Ackerman, Jim Allenby, Marc Rosenberg, Paul Nixon (wkt), Mansoor Amjad, Nick Walker, Dan Rowe, Charl Langeveldt.

Paul Nixon has been left out of the England squad for the forthcoming test with the West Indies. The Leicestershire wicketkeeper, who had such an excellent World Cup, will hand over the gloves to Sussex's Matt Prior.

This comes as no real surprise as Prior was the 'keeper when new England coach Peter Moores was the manager at Sussex. Nico, will hopefully keep his place in the one-day side and is surely a certainty for Twenty20 World Championships in September.

This is a blow for Nixon personally but on the other hand it is a massive boost to Leicestershire, as Nixon has been a consistent performer in the County's otherwise poor batting displays so far this season and Nico was originally expected to be unavailable for large chunks of the season due to England commitments.

England Squad

Andrew Strauss (capt), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Ali Cook, Andy Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior (wkt), Owais Shah.

Day 1

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 152-6 (Allenby 36, Amjad 34 not out, Nixon 30 not out)

Derbyshire's decision to put Leicestershire into bat after winning the toss was to prove crucial as the Foxes suffered a torrid time at the crease on the opening day.

At one stage, the County were at an awful 83-6 as only Jimmy Allenby, with an entertaining 36, offered any kind of resistance. Luckily for the Foxes, Paul Nixon (30 not out) and the returning Mansoor Amjad (34 not out) gave them a slightly more respectable score at the end of the day after the rain forced the end of play around tea-time. The pair shared in an unbeaten seventh wicket stand of 85 and more of the same will be required from them to dig the County out of a hole on day two.

Day 2

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 209 all out (Amjad 41, Nixon 40, Lungley 4-54)

Derbyshire 1st Innings - 111-2 (Stubbings 59 not out)

Tom Lungley quickly extinguised Leicestershire's hopes of revival as he removed both Paul Nixon and Mansoor Amjad early in the day. Nixon finished with 40 and Amjad made 41 as the Foxes slumped to 209 all out as Nick Walker set off some fireworks with a typically aggressive 24, including one huge six.

Despite losing Chris Taylor and Phil Weston early on, Derbyshire ended day two in a commanding position after rain had halted play once again. Charl Langeveldt finally claimed his first wicket in Championship cricket for County as he dismissed Taylor but Steve Stubbings' unbeaten 59 and Simon Katich's 27 not out left the home side firmly in control at 111-2.

Day 3

Derbyshire 1st Innings - 259 all out (Katich 94, Amjad 3-16, Langeveldt 3-64, Walker 3-67)

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 54-4

Leicestershire now go into the final day praying for either rain or a miracle as they are now staring defeat in the face. Another poor batting performance saw the County finish the day at 54-4 and with a lead of only 4 runs.

Earlier the County had polished off Derbyshire's first innings in impressive fashion despite a knock of 94 from captain Simon Katich. Seamers Charl Langelveldt claimed 3-64 and Nick Walker (3-67) did the early damage but it was spinner Mansoor Amjad that rounded the innings off. The Pakistani youngster claimed 3-16 from just 7.4 overs as he mopped up the tail and Jimmy Allenby ended with impressive figures of 1-23 from 14 overs as the home side were all out for 259.

More rain interrupted the match but there was enough time for the County to dig themselves into an even deeper hole. Tom New made just 4 as the first wicket was down with just 5 on the board and then a burst of wickets saw Darren Robinson (14), HD Ackerman (27) and Allenby (0) all fall and leave the Foxes in a mess at 54-4. John Sadler and John Maunders were there at close as bad light finished play early once again and they will both have to be at their best if the County are to get anything out of this match.

Day 4

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 137 all out (Nixon 42, Lungley 5-20)

Derbyshire 2nd Innings - 88-3 (Katich 45 not out, Amjad 2-22)

Derbyshire won by 7 wickets

Derbyshire 19 points, Leicester 4 points

Another appalling batting performance by Leicestershire, meant that Derbyshire cruised to victory by 7 wickets.

Resuming with an overnight score of 54-4, John Maunders, John Sadler and Mansoor Amjad fell very early in the day with the score at an embarrassing 67-7 but luckily Paul Nixon gave the County some respectability by scoring 42 and despite Nick Walker's 16 and Ryan Cummins gritty 1 run from 34 balls, the Foxes were all out for a measly 137.

Needing 88 to win from a full afternoon's play, Derbyshire encountered few problems in achieving this target although Mansoor Amjad had time to remove openers Phil Weston and Steve Stubbings to finish with 2-22 and 5-38 in the match. Charl Langeveldt did pick up the wicket of Travis Birt but skipper Simon Katich saw Derby home with an unbeaten 45.

Four Championship games now without a win is simply not good enough. With such an under strength bowling line-up, the batsmen needed to show much more responsibility, but they failed miserably. Only Paul Nixon showed any fight with the bat, but no other front line batsmen could muster anything substantial over the two innings. Mansoor Amjad was the most impressive bowler, picking up five wickets in the match and also chipped in with a decent knock in the first innings. Forget the bowling for now, we know we are injury hit, it's time for the batsman to stand up and be counted.

Player Ratings

Robinson 5, Maunders 4, New 4, Ackerman 5, Allenby 6, Sadler 4, Nixon 8, Amjad 8*, Walker 7, Cummins 5, Langeveldt 6.

Scorecard

Leicestershire have been hit by the news that Stuart Broad will miss at least two more games as he surggles with a knee injury. The 20 year old has already missed the Foxes last three matches and expected to be out for at least a further 10 days.

David Masters has undergone surgery for a hernia and is expected to be out for a further two weeks and Claude Henderson is not expected to return back from South Africa until the end of the month as his mother is terminally ill back home.

It looks like the County will have to soldier on with an understrength bowling attack for the next few weeks and the trio's eventual return could not be needed more as they struggle in the current Championship match at Derby.

Stuart Broad, Mansoor Amjad and John Maunders all return to the Leicestershire squad as they travel to Derbyshire for LV County Championship clash starting tomorrow (Wednesday).

Broad was rested for the two recent FPT wins and Maunders has now shaken off a hamstring strain picked up at Worcester the weekend before last. Amjad has returned to the UK after spending 10 days at a Pakistan international training camp and with Claude Henderson's absence, the youngster will provide the main spin option in the side.

Surely Marc Rosenberg will keep his place in the side after impressing at Gloucester last week as Nick Walker and Ryan Cummins should miss out. Allenby, Maunders and Rosenberg could provide effective back up seam options to the opening pair of Broad and Langeveldt, with Amjad and possibly John Sadler giving the option of spin.

Squad

Darren Robinson (capt), Tom New, John Maunders, HD Ackerman, Jimmy Allenby, Paul Nixon (wkt), John Sadler, Marc Rosenberg, Mansoor Amjad, Stuart Broad, Charl Langeveldt, Nick Walker, Ryan Cummins.

Meanwhile, Derbyshire have been dealt a blow as Ian Harvey will not be able to play for the County as a domestic player until his British passport is sorted out. Harvey had been filling in as an overseas player while fellow Aussie Travis Birt was injured, but now Birt is fit and the other overseas slot is filled by another Australian, skipper Simon Katich. What a shame :)

Yorkshire - 282-8 (Allenby 3-44, Rudolph 100)

Leicestershire - 284-4 (Allenby 84, Ackerman 66, Sadler 59 not out, Nixon 42 not out)

Leicestershire won by 6 wickets with 16 balls remaining

Jimmy Allenby produced a sensational all round performance as Leicestershire destroyed Yorkshire at Headingley. The all rounder claimed 3-44 with the ball and then smashed a brilliant 84 from just 66 balls with the bat.

The early signs did not look good though as Yorkshire posted an impressive total of 282-8 from their 50 overs as South African star Jacques Rudolph hit exactly 100. Allenby accounted for the wickets of danger men Anthony McGrath and Pakistan star Younis Khan with his medium pacers as Charl Langeveldt finally grabbed his first wickets for the Foxes, finishing with 2-53. The hero against Scotland, Dan Rowe, found life particularly tough as he was knocked for 48 from just 6 overs and Nick Walker and Ryan Cummins were dealt similar treatment. The absence of key bowlers Stuart Broad, David Masters and the ill Jeremy Snape meant an understrength County attack with John Sadler being called on to bowl his gentle spinners and he did not disappoint as he claimed 1-33 from 8 overs.

A victory for County seemed a long way off when they were reduced to 34-2 as the experienced pair of Jason Gillespie and Darren Gough removed Tom New (15) and Darren Robinson (10). Thankfully a superb stand of 131 between HD Ackerman and Allenby was to rescue the innings for the Foxes. The Springbok Ackerman, made a typically pacey 66 before being cuaght by Khan off Pyrah. During this stand, Allenby had took centre stage and his flambouyant and excellent 84 included 7 fours and 4 sixes before he became Pyrah's second wicket. Now at 188-4, we would have expected the nerves to kick in and the run rate to drop, but that certainly wasn't the case as Paul Nixon and John Sadler continued in similar fashion to the previous pair. Nixon made a gutsy 42 not out but it was Sadler who did an 'Allenby' and proved what a talent he can be as he played with style and aggression to finish with an unbeaten 59 from 41 balls. It was Sadler who hit the winning runs, fittingly with a boundary as the County cruised to victory with 16 balls to spare.

This was easily Leicestershire's best performance of the season and this was their third successive win in the Friends Provident Trophy. It is early doors but with key players coming back into the fold and continued performances like this, then a semi final place is not out of the question. Jimmy Allenby has been a revelation so far this season and John Sadler is finally finding some form and looking like the player that we all know he can be.

Player Ratings

New 6, Robinson 6, Ackerman 9, Allenby 10*, Nixon 9, Sadler 9, Rosenberg 6, Rowe 4, Walker 5, Cummins 5, Langeveldt 6.

Scorecard

Scotland - 255-6 (Bailey 76 not out, Walker 3-60)

Leicestershire - 256-6 (Nixon 60, Ackerman 51, New 48, Sadler 45)

Leicestershire won by 4 wickets off the final ball

Leicestershire left it very late as the secured victory off the final ball of the match versus Scotland at Grace Road. Dan Rowe, a late replacement for the injured Stuart Broad, hit the winning two runs (from his first ball) and was the hero for the County.

Scotland made an impressive 255-6 from their 50 overs after some sloppy bowling and fielding from the Foxes. Jeremy Snape and Jimmy Allenby were the only economical bowlers for the County but Nick Walker, despite conceding 60 runs from his 10 overs, claimed 3 wickets. Australian George Bailey was in fine form for the Scots as he hit an unbeaten 76 from just 42 balls.

Leicestershire made a steady start in their chase despite losing Darren Robinson for 15 as Tom New (48) and HD Ackerman (51) shared in second wicket stand of 87 but both then fell in quick succession. Jimmy Allenby started well before clean bowled by Wright for 18 but it was a stand of 69 from Paul Nixon and John Sadler that halted the slide. The pair did not find it easy though, as boundaries were hard to come by as the Scots bowled tightly. Sadler made 45 before being bowled by Paul Hoffmann but Nixon eccelarated and his four from the third ball of the final over meant that the Foxes needed just 2 from 2 balls. Nico then went for another big hit but was clean bowled by Nel for a superb 60, meaning that the County now needed two from the final ball! Enter Dan Rowe, facing his first ball, who hit Nel through the off side to scamper back for two runsd and to win the match in dramatic circumstances!

An under strength County left it late against the underdogs Scotland and if it weren't for a mostly poor bowling and fielding performance, life would have been much easier. Take nothing away from the batters though as Tom New, HD Ackerman , John Sadler and in particularly Paul Nixon all played very well.

Player Ratings

New 8, Robinson 6, Ackerman 8, Allenby 7, Nixon 9*, Sadler 8, Snape 7, Rowe 6, Walker 7, Cummins 6, Langeveldt 6.

Scorecard

Skipper Jeremy Snape and Ryan Cummins return to the Leicestershire squad as they entertain Scotland at Grace Road in the Friends Provident Trophy today (Sunday).

The Foxes will of course be without the injured David Masters, who has an groin injury and Claude Henderson, who is back home in South Africa because his mother is seriously ill. John Maunders misses out once again as he recovers from injury.

Snape is expected to replace Masters and Cummins will probably come in for Nick Walker as the two changes to the Championship side. Marc Rosenberg, who made an excellent debut at Gloucester, is likely to retain his place in the side and will be able to show off the hard hitting style he is more accustomed to.

Char Langeveldt will be looking to pick up his first wickets for the County after disappointing at Gloucester.

Squad

Darren Robinson, Tom New, HD Ackerman, Jim Allenby, Paul Nixon (wkt), Jeremy Snape (capt), John Sadler, Stuart Broad, Nick Walker, Ryan Cummins, Charl Langeveldt, Marc Rosenberg.

Day 1

Gloucestershire 1st Innings - 387-6 (Ali 92, Allenby 2-64)

Leicestershire payed the price after winning the toss and electing to field on a glorious batting track! Kadeer Ali's 92 and Marcus North's 86, made the going tough for the County bowlers as Jimmy Allenby claimed his first championship wickets, claimin gthe scalps of Ali and Alex Gidman. Stuart Broad returned to the championship side with the two wickets of  North and Chris Taylor as the home side totalled 387-6 by close. 

Day 2

Gloucestershire 1st Innings - 507 all out (Adshead 81, Allenby 5-125)

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 191-2 (New 76 not out, Ackerman 59)

Jimmy Allenby and Tom New starred for the Foxes and left the match very much wide open going into day three. Allenby picked up career best figures of 5-125 as he claimed the wickets of former Leicesterhire men Steve Adshead (81) and Steve Kirby (22), also claiming the wicket of Aussie all rounder Ashley Noffke. Stuart Broad finished with 3-111, picking up the wicket of Mark Hardinges for 22. The day couldn't have got off to a worse start though as the County were reduced to 10 men for the rest of the match as Claude Henderson has had to return to South Africa due to his mother becoming seriously ill.

After finshing off the home side for 507 all out, the Foxes lost the early wicket of skipper Darren Robinson for 14 but Tom New and HD Ackerman shared in a second wicket stand of 138 and made the most of the conditions. After Ackerman was caught behind by Adshead off North for 59, John Sadler joined New at the crease and the pair shared in an unbeaten stand of 60 to leave Leicestershire 191-2 at close. By this time, New had added 76 runs to his impressive seasonal tally and doing so passed fifty for the fourth time in the championship this season. His unbeaten knock came from 186 balls and included 9 fours and the 22 year old will be hoping that he can go on and record his first ever first class century.

Day 3

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 376 all out (New 98, Rosenberg 64 not out)

Gloucestershire 2nd Innings - 146-2

Gloucestershire lead by 277 runs

Marc Rosenberg hit an unbeaten half century on his Championship debut as crisis hit Leicestershire go in to the final day hanging on for the draw. A draw would be a great result for the Foxes as they are missing their only spinner Claude Henderson, who has had to fly home to South Africa to be with his sick mother and David Masters is unable to bowl for the rest of the match due to a groin injury.

Tom New came so very close to completing his maiden first class century but fell agonisingly close for 98 after Joh Sadler had fallen for 45. Jimmy Allenby failed to score in his nine balls as he was caught by Craig Spearman off Steve Kirby, but Paul Nixon and Marc Rosenberg restored order with a sixth wicket stand of 71. Nixon was then trapped lbw by Kirby for 30 but South African Rosenberg, was not to be defeated as he scored an impressive 64 not out before running out of partners. Stuart Broad chipped in with 22 before the injured Masters failed to score and Charl Langeveldt added 9 to leave the County 376-9, all out due to Henderson's absence and 131 runs behind Gloucestershire's 1st innings total.

Without, two of their key bowlers, Leicestershire were always going to find it tough to break down Gloucstershire in their 2nd innings. More responsibility lied with Langeveldt, Broad and Allenby but the former has failed to deliver a single wicket in his first match with the County. Broad did make the breakthrough however, having Spearman caught by Rosenberg for 26 and then Allenby had Ali caught behind by New for 43 as the home side closed on 146-2 with a lead of 277 runs.

It is inevitable that the Foxes will bat again on the final day as Gloucestershire go hunting for victory and if the County can hang on in there for the draw, it will be an excellent result considering they are effectively down to nine men.

Day 4

Gloucestershire 2nd Innings - 249-4 dec (North 106)

Leicester 2nd Innings - 218-7 (Allenby 47 not out)

Match Drawn - Gloucestershire 12 points, Leicestershire 10 points

Jimmy Allenby completed a fine all round performance as his 47 not out was the key factor in depleted Leicestershire gaining a draw. The all rounder spent nearly three hours at the crease as he brilliantly fended off the Gloucestershire attack and gained excellent support from Marc Rosenberg and the injured David Masters.

Having resumed on 146-2, Australian Marcus North was intent on giving the home side plenty of time to bowl out their visitors as he smashed 106 from 74 balls before falling to unlikely source, Darren Robinson, whose gentle off breaks had him caught by Allenby. The declaration soon followed with Gloucester at 249-4, giving Leicestershire a target of 381 for victory.

The County's main aim was to bat sensibly and hang on for the draw, but thy suffered an early set back as Tom New was bowled by Steve Kirby for 16. Darren Robinson and HD Ackerman as they put on 55 for the second wicket but the latter was trapped lbw by Anthony Ireland for 28. Robinson followed shortly afterwards for 36 then Paul Nixon made 15 and things looked bleak for the Foxes as John Sadler was caught by Spearman off Taylor for 32 with the score at 140-5. At this point, Allenby was battling hard and had a fine partner in Rosenberg, who made an equally battling 17 from 56 balls before becoming Ashely Noffke's only victim of the innings. When Stuart Broad was out for 9, it looked like Allenby would be stranded at the crease but the perfect ally in Masters as together they batting through some nervy moments to remain unbeaten and gain a draw for Leicestershire.

Allenby's 47 not out came from 139 balls and included 6 fours and despite not making the a half century this innings was of great magnitude and the Australian born all rounder is showing the signs of becoming a top class player. A special word is needed for Masters, as despite a groin injury that left him unable to bowl, his 5 not out lasted nearly an hour as he faced 45 balls and his resistance, together with Allenby's, meant the the County gained their first positive result in the Championship this season.

Player Ratings

Robinson 6, New 8, Ackerman 7, Sadler 7, Nixon 6, Allenby 9*, Rosenberg 8, Broad 6, Masters 7, Henderson 5, Langeveldt 5.

Scorecard

Charl Langeveldt has finalised his short term deal with Leicestershire and will go straight into the Championship side at Bristol versus Gloucestershire starting tomorrow (Wednesday).

The South African World Cup seamer has signed for a three week period as cover for RP Singh who has joined up with the India one-day side. John Maunders is ruled out of the match though after sustaining a hamstring injury in the win at Worcester on Sunday. South African born all rounder Marc Rosenberg is included in the squad and stands by to make his Championship debut.

Squad

Darren Robinson (capt), Tom New, HD Ackerman, John Sadler, Jimmy Allenby, Paul Nixon (wkt), Claude Henderson, Stuart Broad, David Masters, Nick Walker, Charl Langeveldt, Marc Rosenberg.

Leicestershire - 231 all out from 49 overs (Sadler 48 not out, Allenby 45, Robinson 44)

Worcestershire - 189 all out from 44.3 overs (Snape 3-41, Masters 2-38, Allenby 1-18)

Leicestershire won by 42 runs.

Jimmy Allenby starred with bat and ball as Leicestershire finally gained victory for the first time season. The Australian born all rounder hit a 53 ball 45 and claimed an economical 1-18 as the County cruised to a 42 run victory.

Things got off to an unfortunate start as John Maunders had to retire hurt on five and then his replacement HD Ackerman scored just 9 before falling to a catch from Moore off Kabir Ali. Darren Robinson and Allenby then put on 70 before the former fell for 44, caught and bowled by Price. Paul Nixon chipped in with 30 as Allenby fell for 45, but Jeremy Snape failed to score before John Sadler top scored with a pateint and unbeaten 48 as the County were all out for 231 from 49 overs.

The Foxes then reduced Worcestershire's reply to 85-4 as Stuart Broad marked his first match of the season with the wicket of Stephen Moore and Allenby removed dangerman Graeme Hick for just 13. David Masters chipped in with two wickets asormer Fox Ben Smith and wicketkeeper Stephen Davies rallied with a 48 and 47 respectively but Jeremy Snape then atoned for his batting failure with three crucial wickets as the County bowled out the home side for just 189 and won the game by 42 runs.

An excellent performance for County on a difficult batting track finally gave them their first and long overdue victory of the season. It was good to see both batters and bowlers finding form and this kind of performance needs to be continued.

Player Ratings

Maunders 6, Robinson 8, Ackerman 5, Allenby 9*, Nixon 7, Snape 7, Sadler 8, Masters 8, Broad 7, Henderson 6, Walker 6.

Scorecard

Paul Nixon and Stuart Broad return to the Leicestershire side for the Friends Provident Trophy clash away to Worcestershire today (Sunday).

After arriving back in the UK on Tuesday night from the World Cup in the West Indies, the pair were rested for the Championship match with Somerset, but are now set to make their first appearnces of the season at Worcester. Their return could not have come at a better time for the Foxes after the sides dreadful start to the season consisting of 3 successive defeats in all of their 3 matches.

Both Mansoor Amjad and RP Singh are unavailable due to international commitments but Charl Langeveldt is yet to be officially unveiled as the latter's locum replacement. Skipper Jeremy Snape also returns to the side, after once again being left out of the Championship side.

Squad

Darren Robinson, Jimmy Allenby, John Maunders, HD Ackerman, Paul Nixon (wkt), Jeremy Snape (capt), John Sadler, Tom New, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Stuart Broad, Nick Walker, Ryan Cummins.

Day 1

Somerset 1st Innings - 357 all out (Masters 6-60, Jones 114)

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 58-3

After a brilliant start, Leicestershire showed their inability to finish off a side once again.

In the early stages of  Somerset's innings the Foxes had them at 71-5, with David Masters and RP Singh bowling well to remove dangermen Justin Langer, cameron White and Ian Blackwell but the back to fitness Marcus Trecothick hit 77 to stabilise his sides halt. After a Peter Trego half century, seamer Stefan Jones, who recently returned to Somerset for a second spell from Northants, frustrated the County bowlers with his highest ever first class score of 114. It was only the second century of the 33 year old's long career and he was given excellent support from Andy Caddick who made 51. After reducing Somerset to 201-8 the two tailenders put on 146 and after such a promising start the Foxes let slip a wonderful opportunity to take control of the game. The visitors were finally out all out for 357, a score which did not look at all likely after the morning session but despite this Masters emerged with so much credit as he picked up his best ever bowling figures for the County of 6-60.

Facing the remaining 17 overs of the day, it was always going to be tricky for the Leicestershire batsmen and rather predictably they crumbled to 58-3 by close. After starting promisingly, John Maunders was bowled by former Fox Charl Willoughby for 26 and HD Ackerman and the out of sorts John Sadler both fell to single figure scores to the South African again. Skipper Darren Robinson remained unbeaten at the end of play with 26 as was nightwatchman Masters with 2.

Day 2

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 385 all out (Robinson 122, Allenby 77, Amjad 67, New 53)

Somerset 2nd Innings - 22-0

Darren Robinson hit a splendid century as Leicestershire kick started their season with an excellent day's batting at Grace Road.

Robinson shared in a 5th wicket stand of 254 with Jimmy Allenby who made an excellent 77 as the Foxes ran up a total of 385 all out. Tom New with 53 and Mansoor Amjad, who scored a County best 67 also chipped in lower down the order to give Leicestershire a first innings lead of 28. Somerset faced a delicate last six overs at the crease and were 22-0 at close.

A much improved performance today gives hope to Leicestershire and sets up the match nicely for a result.

Day 3

Somerset 2nd Innings - 376 all out (Langer 92, Amjad 3-52, Singh 3-62, Henderson 3-111)

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 56-4

After a promising day in the field, Leicestershire now find themselves on the brink of defeat after an end of the day batting collapse.

David Masters broke through early for the Foxes removing Marcus Trescothick leg before for 17 but Justin Langer and Neil Edwards frustrated the bowlers with a second wicket stand of 175. Then a burst of 3 quick wickets from RP Singh get the Foxes back in the game as he accounted for the wickets of Edwards (79), Langer (92) and James Hildreth (9). Australia's Cameron White proved as explosive as ever, hitting 3 sixes in his 69 before becoming one of Claude Henderson's 3 victims. In fact spin was the key, as Mansoor Amjad showed his all round knack by polsihing off the Somerset innings for 376 all out. Despite giving away 7 no balls, the young Pakistani eventually found his rhythm as he clean bowled Peter Trego and Stefan Jones and trapped Andy Caddick to a stumping from Tom New.

Set 349 for victory, the County had 20 overs at the end of the day in which to get themselves into a good position on the final day. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case, as the Foxes slumped to 56-4 at close. Andy Caddick removed Darren Robinson and John Maunders, both for 19 and HD Ackerman, after starting well was cuaght behind by Spurway off Ian Blackwell for 17. Henderson came in as nightwatchman but his shift was a short one as he was cuaght by Edwards off White for just 1. John Sadler remained unbeaten at close on 12 and he will have to be at his very best if Leicestershire are to mount a challenge for the win tomorrow.

Day 4

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 150 all out (New 54)

Somerset won by 198 runs

Another horror show for County reduced them to their third successive victory in 3 matches in 2007.

After resuming their overnight score of 56-4, the Foxes produced an appalling display to throw away the good work they had fashioned from the first three days and crash to 150 all out. Only Tom New emerged from the final day with any credit as he blasted 54 from just 44 balls but saw the rest of the batsmen crumble around him. Somerset's Peter Trego picked up 4-49 as John Sadler (22), Jimmy Allenby (2) and Mansoor Amjad (1) all fell within the first hour of play.

So, three games of the season gone and three defeats, could the season have started any worse? It has all been so predictable and after this kind of shocking form it is hard to see where the first win is coming from.

Scorecard

Player Ratings:

Robinson 8, Maunders 5, Ackerman 4, Sadler 4, Allenby 7, New 9*, Amjad 7, Henderson 7, Masters 9, Singh 7, Walker 4.

South African World Cup star Charl Langeveldt is set to sign for Leicestershire as a temporary replacement for the India bound RP Singh.

The 32 year old former Somerset fast bowler was the Proteas most successful bowler in the West Indies with 14 wickets at 25 a piece and his signing, which is expected to be completed by the weekend, is sure to be a big boost for the County.

Sri Lankan fast bowling sensation Lasith Malinga had been linked with a move to Grace Road, but Langeveldt's immediate availability means he can step in as soon as Singh leaves for a three week spell with the Indian national side.

Mansoor Amjad, has also been called up to a Pakistan training camp, but he is expected to not be away for much more than a week and a replacement is unlikely.

Meanwhile, Singh, Darren Robinson and Stuart Broad have all been awarded their County caps. Robinson, who now skippers the Championship side, gets the award after more than three years of consistent service while Broad and Singh's international recognition meets the criteria for the award of a cap.

Leicestershire entertain Somerset at Grace Road in the LV County Championship starting tomorrow looking to get their season back on track.

After awful performances in their first two games of the season the County must now start to show some grit, determination and quality. Unfortunately, they cannot rely on the return of England pair Stuart Broad and Paul Nixon who only arrive back in the country tonight and are both rested until Sunday's Friends Provident match at Worcester.

The squad will be the same as it was at Trent Bridge, so Jimmy Allenby returns after being strangely left out of the team in Sunday's defeat to Durham. The all rounder is a one-day specialist, so it is extremely hard to understand why he was left out of the one-day side.

Meanwhile, Foxes coach Tim Boon has been linked to the Pakistan coach job that was vacated after the tragic death of Bob Woolmer. Boon had close links with Woolmer who was influential in Leicestershire's signing's of Mansoor Amjad and Mohammad Asif.

Squad

Darren Robinson (capt), John Maunders, HD Ackerman, John Sadler, Jimmy Allenby, Tom New (wkt), Claude Henderson, David Masters, Mansoor Amjad, Nick Walker, RP Singh, Ryan Cummins.

Leicestershire 138 all out from 37.3 overs (Maunders 72 not out, Thorp 4-30)

Durham 139-2 from 28.1 overs (Mustard 66)

Durham won by 8 wickets

Leicestershire crashed to another heavy defeat with a poor performance in their opening match in the Friends Provident Trophy versus Durham at Grace Road.

The only bright point for the Foxes was John Maunders' gritty unbeaten 72 out of a paltry total of 138 all out. It was the former Middlesex man's highest ever one day score and only tail enders David Masters and Nick Walker, who both scored 11, were the only other batters to reach double figures.

The humiliation was complete when Durham knocked off the required runs in under 30 overs with considerable ease as Phil Mustard dominated by scoring 66. RP Singh and Claude Henderson accounted for the two wickets but the poor batting display gave the bowlers little chance to garb anything out of this match.

After defeat to Notts in the opening Championship match and now this woeful display, the early warning signs of the severe lack of quality in the side are there for all to see.

Scorecard

Player Ratings

New 5, Robinson 4, Ackerman 4, Sadler 5, Maunders 9*, Snape 4, Amjad 5, Henderson 5, Masters 6, Singh 5, Walker 5.

New Leicestershire overseas signing RP Singh has been called to the India one-day squad for three matches versus Bangladesh between May 10th and 15th.

The 21 year old will have to leave for India on May 1st and will miss a total of three championship matches after only arriving in the UK at the start of this week. This news now means that Tim Boon is on the lookout for a stop gap three week replacement for Singh and hopes to unveil the player at he start of next week.

This news is exactly what the County did not need after a poor start to the season. If there were any lingering doubts that Singh could by called up by India then why did Tim Boon sign him? What we need this season is continuity and to have two overseas players that can be available for the entire season. Now Singh is back in favour with the Indian selectors, surely this means there is a good chance he will be selected for India's tour of England this summer and Leicestershire will be once again searching for a replacement!

Day 1

Leicestershire 1st Innings - 299 all out (Maunders 82, Robinson 50, Henderson 47)

Leicestershire threw away an excellent start by finishing the day all out for 299.

Darren Robinson (50) and John Maunders (82) put on an opening stand of 124 before the wickets began to tumble as HD Ackerman (18), John Sadler (18), Jimmy Allenby (14), Tom New (16) and Mansoor Amjad (5) all fell cheaply before Claude Henderson and RP Singh battled to take the score close to 300. Henderson made 47 and Singh, a career best equalling 25, as they put on 48 for the 9th wicket as Paul Franks and Graeme Swann took 3 wickets each to end a disappointing first day with the bat considering the Foxes had won the toss and elected to bat.

Day 2

Nottinghamshire 1st Innings - 398-6 (Gallian 150, Hussey 105)

Leicestershire now face an uphill struggle to get anything out of the match as Nottinghamshire made the most of their first innings.

By the end of the second day, the home side were 99 runs ahead of the Foxes at 398/6 with Jason Gallian (150) and Mike Hussey (105) both scoring centuries.  The only highlight of the day for the County was the 3 wickets of Nick Walker, who staked his claim to keep his first team place when Stuart Broad arrives back from World Cup duty.

Day 3

Nottinghamshire 1st Innings - 500 all out (RP Singh 3-106, Walker 3-106)

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 268-5 (Ackerman 112, New 57 not out)

The County now face a massive task going into the final day, despite a century from HD Ackerman.

After resuming on 398-6, Notts continued to dominate as the made a total of 500 all out. RP Singh finally found his feet and finished the innings with 3-106 as Graeme Swann showed his all round capabilities with 46.

Going into their second innings 201 runs behind was a daunting prospect for the Foxes and after making good starts, Darren Robinson (37) and John Maunders (31) made the job even harder. Enter HD Ackerman, who misfired in the first innings, his 112 was crucial in getting Leicestershire back into the match. Despite seeing John Sadler (0) and Jimmy Allenby (3) dismissed low scores he found an ally in wicketkeeper Tom New, who ended the day unbeaten on 57. The 22 year old's half century was one of pure patience as he was at the crease for nearly 3 hours providing excellent back up for the more fluent Ackerman. The South African's 112 came from 151 balls and included 17 fours and 2 sixes but he will be kicking himself as he was dismissed by a ctach from Mark Ealham off the bowling of Swann on what turned out to be the last ball of the day.

At 268-5 and with a lead of 67, the final day will be a tough one for the County and they will have to use all their efforts to gain anything out of this match.

Day 4

Leicestershire 2nd Innings - 311 all out

Nottinghamshire 2nd Innings - 112-1 (26.3 overs)

Notts won by 9 wickets

It was always going to be tough for the County going into the final day but the way in which they crumbled to a 9 wicket defeat, brings home the reality that 2007 is going to be incredibly tough for the Foxes.

Resuming on 268-5, Tom New was out without adding to his overnight score of 57 and despite a start from Mansoor Amjad, the young Pakistani became one of Ryan Sidebottom's 3 victims after scoring 20. Henderson (10), Masters (9) and Singh (0) alll fell cheaply as Leicestershire crashed to 311 all out.

Notts returned to the crease by polishing off the required total in the 27th over, losing just one wicket in the process, that of Jason Gallian for 37 to Claude Henderson but Bilal Shafayat's unbeaten 40 and Mark Wagh's 30 not out were enough to ease the Outlaws home.

A very disappointing start to the season saw very few positives for Leicestershire. Last season was meant to be one of rebuilding but this season should have seen progression - this performance showed no evidence to suggest we are progressing in the right way and with Paul Nixon and Stuart Broad returning from World Cup duty this week, lets hope that they can inject some much needed quality.

Scorecard

Player Ratings

Robinson 7, Maunders 8, Ackerman 8*, Sadler 4, Allenby 4, New 7, Amjad 4, Henderson 7, Masters 5, Singh 6

Mansoor Amjad has arrived in the UK and is to play in the 50 over-a-side friendly with Warwickshire at Grace Road on Sunday.

Tim Boon has named a strong squad and the only absentees are that of Stuart Broad and Paul Nixon who are both on World Cup duty with England. RP Singh has still not arrived in the country, although he is expected to play in the County's opening fixture of 2007 on Wednesday versus Nottinghamshire.

The match sees the return of Darren Maddy, who left Leicestershire at the end of last season after a 12 year period with the club.

Squad:

Darren Robinson, John Maunders, HD Ackerman, John Sadler, Jim Allenby, Jeremy Snape (capt), Mansoor Amjad, Tom New (wkt), Claude Henderson, David Masters, Nick Walker, Ryan Cummins.

Leicestershire warmed up for next week's start to the cricket season with two wins in two days versus Cambridge UCCE at Fenners.

On Wednesday the County racked up 339-4 in the first 50 over match with HD Ackerman starring with a 77 ball 91. Darren Robinson with 60 and John Sadler with a quick fire 77 from 68 balls, also did the damage as Jimmy Allenby and Jeremy Snape contributed swift scores later in the innings. It was Snape and Allenby who also showed their quality with the ball, as the skipper claimed 2-11 from 8 overs and the Australian took 3-16 from 7 overs as Cambridge were restricted to 206-6.

The following day, Claude Henderson returned from injury to claim 4-33 as Leicestershire once again overcame Cambridge. Batting first, the Foxes totalled 257 from 50 overs with Tom New top scoring with 58 as John Sadler helped himself to some more runs by scoring 40. Jimmy Allenby once again displayed his all round talents by firstly scoring 37 and then returning figures of 2-14 as the home side were dismissed for 195.

The County complete their pre-season warm up matches as they entertain Darren Maddy's Warwickshire in another 50 over match at Grace Road on Monday.

England v West Indies - Super 8's (21/4/07)

England ended their World Cup campaign with a thrilling win over he West Indies and it was the Leicestershire pair Stuart Broad and Paul Nixon who both had a major say in winning the match.

Broad hit the winning runs from the penultimate ball and Nixon thrashed a thrilling 38 from 39 balls as the pair became the first two Leicestershire players to represent England in a World Cup match.

Having won the toss and electing to bowl, Michael Vuaghan must have been regretting this decision as the West Indies, and Chris Gayle in particular, went on a rampage in the early overs. Gayle made a superb 79 from 58 balls and smashed 22 from one Liam Plunkett over and the Durham seamer did not know what him as he conceded 71 runs from 7 overs! Stuart Broad ended Gayle' assault with a smart catch at third man off Flintoff and Brian Lara, playing his last ever match for the West Indies, was unfortunately run out for 18. Marlon Samuels weighed in with a breezy 51 as the England bowlers struggled to contain the home nation but Broad, despite going for 11 from his opening over, bowled pretty well after that, conceding 32 runs from his 6 overs and his figures were very economical compared with the majority of the other England bowlers. Michael Vaughan of all people was the most effective with his spin as he took 3-39 from 10 overs as the West Indies totalled 300 all out.

England's reply got off to a poor start as Andrew Strauss was removed for 7 but Vaughan and Bopara, promoted to three, took the score past 100 before the young Essex man fell for 26 after being run out by Bravo. Vaughan, after a poor World Cup, finally found his feet, hitting a great 79 from 68 balls before also being run out by Bravo and that first one day hundred still eludes him! Kevin Pieterson saw Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff and Jamie Dalrymple fall cheaply around him but found the perfect partner in Paul Nixon. After completing another excellent century, Pieterson was clean bowled by Jerome Taylor for exactly 100 and it was left to Nixon to up his tempo. Despite seeing Plunkett dismissed cheaply, Nixon thrashed four identical 4's from one Taylor over as Stuart Broad joined him at the crease and put England firmly in the driving seat. But when Nixon was clean bowled by Dwayne Bravo in the final over, England were down to the last man and it was upto Stuart Broad, who from the penulitmate ball, launched Bravo into the deep off side for two runs and to win the match for England!

So, a thrilling end to England's World Cup campaign and it was a very proud moment for all Leicestershire fans to see tow of our players winning the match! Overall though, England were poor during the World Cup and with Duncan Fletcher on his way out and former Sussex coach Peter Moores on his way in, a new era is dawning for English cricket and changes in direction and selection will be needed to turn England's fortunes in a positive way.

Scorecard

England v South Africa - Super 8's (17/4/07)

England crashed out of the World Cup with a humiliating defeat to South Africa. England's batting and bowling was simply shocking as the Proteas booked their place in the semi finals.

Engalnd totalled a paltry 154 all out from 48 overs as Andrew Strauss top scored with 46. Ian Bell, Michael Vaughan (yet again!), Kevin Pieterson and Andrew Flintoff all fell cheaply and only Paul Collingwood (30) and Ravi Bopara, with a battling 27 not out, offered any middle order resistance. Paul Nixon's fine run of form with the bat ended by scroing just 1 from 2 balls as Andrew Hall destroyed England by returning brilliant figures of 5-18.

More humiliation was to follow, as the Proteas knocked off the target, just shy of 20 overs! Skipper Graeme Smith, who usually takes a shine to Leicestershire bowlers, smashed 89 from only 58 balls. The 'amazing' Saj Mahmood produced an incredible spell of bowling, incredibly bad! The Lancashire 'bowler' conceded a collasal 49 runs from just over 4 overs and it is surely now time to wave good bye to him and introduce Stuart Broad for the final match versus the West Indies.

Shortly afterwards, Duncan Fletcher announced his resignation as head coach, surely a case of walking before he was pushed. His reign contained many highs and many positives but England's form over the last year or so has been a disgrace and changes in direction and selection at the top were drastically required. Now Michael Vaughan should follow and retire from all forms of international cricket as he is simply no longer up to world class standard.

Scorecard

England v Bangladesh - Super 8's (11/4/07)

One of the most excrutiatingly boring matches in years saw the underwhelming England defeat Bangladesh by 4 wickets.

It had all started so well for England, as they bowled out Bangladesh for 143 with just over 12 overs remaining in their innings. It was only Saqibul Hasan that provided any resistance with an unbeaten 57 as Saj Mahmood and Monty Panesar each claimed 3 wickets.

A disastrous start for England saw Ian Bell out without scoring before Michael Vaughan (30), Andrew Strauss (23) and Kevin Pieterson (10) followed in quick succession to leave them struggling at 79-4. A mini cameo innings of 23 from 21 balls by Andrew Flintoff upped the dreadfully slow run rate briefly before Ravi Bopara (0) followed Flintoff back to the pavilion.

It was left upto Paul Collingwood and Paul Nixon to finish off the job for England that they had made such hard work of. The run rate continued to be incredibly slow as Paul Collingwood's 23 came from 74 balls. Paul Nixon was more fluent though and continued his fine World Cup with 20 not out from 39 balls - an innings which included yet another six for the Leicestershire wicketkeeper.

So the match was won with just over 5 overs to spare but it was a poor performance and completely uninspiring and if England put in this kind of performance against South Africa next week then the result could be embarrassing.

Scorecard

England v Australia - Super 8's (8/4/07)

A Kevin Pieterson century was not enough to stop England crashing to a heavy defeat at the hands of Australia in Antigua. Pieterson (104) and Ian Bell (77) as were the only batsman (apart from Ravi Bopara's 21) to reach double figures.

Once again, Michael Vaughan failed, as he played on to Shaun Tait for just 5 and the incoming Andrew Strauss was removed by Tait in indentical circumstances for 7 shortly after. Then Bell, who was moved up to open the innings, and Pieterson put on 140 together and both played beautifully before a collapse reduced England to 247 all out. Bopara once again impressed with his battling mini innings and Paul Nixon managed to smash Glenn McGrath for a six to cow corner and tried the same again from the next ball but skied it and was caught by former team mate Brad Hodge for 8.

Australia stepped in to bat with their usual confidence and despite the loss of Adam Gilchrist for 27, they never looked in trouble as Matthew Hayden made 41 and the brilliant Ricky Ponting top scored with 81 before being run out by Paul Collingwood. It was upto Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds to see the Aussies home with 55 not out and 28 not out respectively and their victory was completed with 16 balls to spare.

Once again, the failure's of Vaughan and Flintoff were evident once again and the batting order needs a shake up ahead of Wednesdays 'win at all costs' match with Bangladesh. Flintoff needs to be pushed up the order to open as a pinch hitter and Vaughan, who unfortunately has to play has captain, should be moved down to six or seven to take off the pressure. Saj Mahmood was out of his depth and needs to be replaced now and who better than our very own Stuart Broad, surely the wicket taker to answer England's prayers!

Scorecard

England v Sri Lanka - Super 8's (4/4/07)

Paul Nixon and Ravi Bopara produced a brilliant stand of 87, that took England to within a whisker of victory, but it was not quite enough as Sri Lanka won by 2 runs in one of the greatest matches for many years. Nixon made a brilliant 42 from 44 balls which included a massive reverse sweeped six off Muttiah Muralitharan in the closing stages and Bopara scored his made ODI half century with 52 from 53 balls as he played quite beautifully.

After winning the toss and putting Sri Lanka into bat, England actually bowled quite well for once as they restricted the Sri Lankans to 235 all out as Saj Mahmood (yes Saj Mahmood!) picked up 4-50 and Andrew Flintoff 3-35.

England's reply started in dismal fashion as Ed Joyce (10) and Michael Vaughan (0) failed yet again but Ian Bell (47) and Kevin Pieterson (58) shared 90 for the third wicket before Bell was very unucky to be run out by Jayasuriya. Then the collapsed started as Pieterson was caught and bowled by Muralitharan, Collingwood was trapped lbw by the impressive Fernando for 14 and Flintoff skied one Malinga off Fernando again for just 2. Nico and Bopara came together with the game virtually dead at 133-6 but some sensible batting and good running saw the pair excellently keep the runs ticking before an assault in the last five overs. Once Nixon had gone in the penultimate over, Bopara continued to sway the match in England's favour but as the last ball loomed, England and Bopara needed three from it and as Fernando ran in to bowl, the young Essex man gave the bat an almighty swing but missed and was clean bowled.

Despite defeat, England showed up well despite the failings of Joyce and Vaughan yet again and surely Andrew Strauss must now come back into the side for Sunday's must win showdown with Australia. It was a wonderful match and it looks like England have found a new young gem in Bopara and a new 'old' gem in Nixon!

Scorecard

England v Ireland - Super 8's (30/3/07)

This win for England over Ireland should not disguise the fact that the performance was simply not good enough and once again it was Paul Collingwood who came to the rescue.

Batting first, England got off to a poor start as Ed Joyce fell for just 1 against his countrymen, after misjudging a ball from Boyd Rankin, being clean bowled. Michael Vaughan once again provided another useless performance after being cuaght behind by Niall O'Brien off Rankin once again for 6. Ian Bell then followed up with 31 and although tht doesn't sound too bad, quite frankly it was a poor innnings. His 31 runs came from a massive 74 balls and this innings was not acceptable for a number 3 batsman. Kevin Pieterson (48) and Andrew Flintoff (43) helped Collingwood push the score up and Paul Nixon's cameo role with 19 from 15 balls provided good entertainment. In the closing stages, Collingwood was denied a century by some smart fielding from Trent Johnson and was run out for a magnificent 90 from 82 balls as England totalled 266-7.

At 11-2, with the losses of Jeremy Bray and Eoin Morgan, England have finished this game off and won by a huge margin, but, as ever, this was not to be. Niall O'Brien's superb 62 kept the Irish right in it up until the closing stages after some shoddy bowling and skipper Michael Vaughan decided after failing with the bat that he should try himself as a bowler! In fact it was Vaughan, who claimed the wicket of Niall O'Brien and Monty Panesar (2-31) who were the most economical. Ireland went from 139-6 to 197-7 thanks to Trent Johnson's 27 and some late hitting from Andrew White 38 kept Ireland in the match up until the 49th over when the Irish were bowled out for a brave 218. Jimmy Anderson's and Saj Mahmood's inability to bowl yorkers was one of the reason's Ireland were still in with a sniff and it was only when Flintoff came back on that we saw that bowling and the effects were evident immediately as Flintoff mopped up the tail to claim 4-43.

OK. It was a win but the opposition was remember (and no disrespect) only Ireland who's team is made up from mostly part-time cricketers! Serious questions need to be raised about Michael Vaughan's future as he simply does not look up to it and Ian Bell has not looked suitable for one-day international cricket. Anderson and Mahmood need to take more wickets and I would bring back Jon Lewis for the latter in the next match versus Sri Lanka on Wednesday, who will prove a much stiffer test than Ireland.

Scorecard

England v Kenya (24/3/07)

England qualified for the Super 8's with a comfortable win over Kenya in St Lucia. Despite skipper Steve Tikolo's 76, Kenya could only manage 177 all out from a rain reduced 43 overs as Jimmy Anderson, Paul Collingwood and the returning Andrew Flintoff all claimed 2 wickets each and Paul Nixon produced a marvellous bit of fielding to run out Lameck Onyango in the final ball of the innings.In reply, England started shakily after losing Michael Vaughan for just 1 and Ian Bell for 16 but some sensible batting from the ever impressive Ed Joyce (75) and Kevin Pieterson 56 not out won the match for England. After Joyce's dismissal. the 'finisher', Paul Collingwood hit a breezy 18 not out to see Engalnd home with 10 overs to spare.

A much improved performance by England, admittedly against not one of the better sides in the torunament, will hopefully put them in the right mindset for their next match against Ireland on friday in the start of the Super 8's.

Scorecard

England v Canada (18/3/07)

An unconvincing win for England was overshadowed by off field indiscipline and the tragic death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer. Andrew Flintoff was fined, stripped of the vice captaincy and left out of the Canada match after breaking an England curfew by being out drinking into the early hours of Saturday morning following the New Zealand defeat. 'Freddie', according to the News of the World, after taking a pedalo out to sea at 4am he had to be rescued when it capsized. A group of other England players and staff, including Paul Nixon and Jeremy Snape, were also fined for the sole reason of breaking the curfew and knowing the professionalism and matureness of these two players, I doubt we would have ever heard anything about this if it had not been for Flintoff's apparent antics. Woolmer's death was announced during the match and came after the initial news that he had been discovered unconscious in his hotel room. It was a very sad day for cricket, as Woolmer was one of the finest coaches in World Cricket for many a year and his skills were particularly evident when he was the coach of Warwickshire in the mid 1990's who at the time were so well drilled and almost unbeatable.

The match itself gave England the chance to put the New Zealand defeat behind them but even though victory over Canada was secured, the performance would not filled supporters with too much confidence in the team. England made 279-6 from their 50 overs but they really should have posted well over 300 as once again Michael Vaughan made a start but was out for 45 and he really should have been looking to score his ODI century for England. Ed Joyce top scored with 66 and Paul Collingwood scored a quickfire 62 not out but it was Paul Nixon who showed the batsman how it should be done with a brilliant 23 not out from just 8 balls! The Leicestershire wicketkeeper hit 4 fours amd a six and his batting has been a major plus point for England during the World Cup. Canada's reply got off to a shaky start as two early Liam Plunkett wickets had them at 65-4 but stand of 96 from Ashif Mulla (58) and Abdool Samad (36) gave the Canadians hope. Desmond Chumney and Sunil Dhaniram both chipped in but thy ran out of overs and finished at 228-7.

The England bowlers should have been looking to bowl out the Canadians but they were far too expensive and Jamie Dalrymple, who conceded 21 runs from 3 overs, should surely now find is place under threat as a part-time spinner and part-time batsman. Coach Duncan Fletcher described Dalrymple as England's 'first choice' spinner recently and with Monty Panesar continuing to shine, you have to question Fletcher's sanity after making such a comment!

Scorecard

England v New Zealand (16/3/07)

England put in poor show in their opening match of the World Cup as they crashed to defeat to New Zealand.

Batting first, England never really got going after Ed Joyce, Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell fell early on and despite a semi recovery from Paul Collingwood (31) and Kevin Pieterson (60), they were never going to post a competitive total. Enter Paul Nixon, who played with style and bravery to remain unbeaten on 42 from 41 balls at the end and he was given fine back up by Liam Plunkett who scored 29 not out. Nixon and Plunkett's partnership gave England a tiny glimmer of hope as they totalled with, an overall disappointing, 209-7.

Despite the setback of the early losses of Lou Vincent, Stephen Fleming and Ross Taylor, it was Scott Styris and the ever impressive Jacob Oram who steered New Zealand to victory with 9 overs to spare. Styris made 87 not out and Oram, who showed he can play more sedately, made an unbeaten 63.

After impressing in the latter stages of the Commonwealth Bank series, normal service seems to have now resumed for England, and it appears that their heroics in Australia merely papered over the cracks.

Scorecard

Leicestershire's Stuart Broad has been called up to the England World Cup squad as a replacement for Jon Lewis. The 20 year old fast bowler comes into the squad after Lewis returned home to the UK to be with his wife who is suffering complications in the latter stages of her pregnancy.

Broad has been in fine form this year with the England A team and now joins Paul Nixon as one of two Leicestershire players in the Engalnd squad. Broad's call up now leaves the County severely under strength for the start of the domestic cricket season which starts on April 18th with the Championship match at Trent Bridge versus Notts.

Meanwhile, HD Ackerman is back in the UK after a successful season back in South Africa and overseas players Mansoor Amjad and RP Singh are expected to arrive in the country at the back end of next week once their visas are issued. 

Bus driver's son now a cricket star by Pradeep Vijayakar

The coaches who were in charge of moulding raw talent into a cricket star in Indian TV's
first cricket reality show 'Cricket Star' on Zee TV and Doordarshan thought
Chandigarh's legspinner Samandeep Singh or Mumbai's explosive batsman and
Kumble-type legspinner Dinesh Salunke (man of the series) would be the winner.
But it turned out that audience vote tilted the balance in favour of the
20-year-old son of a bus driver, Sukhvir `Happy' Singh, from
Chandigarh.

Sukhvir is a right-arm fast bowler and the coaches said he could
bowl at 125 kph and improved considerably during the show. When one saw him at
the nets of the Indian team during the ODI at Margao, Sukhvir had been happy to
have got tips from Sreesanth. Sukhvir gave up his class 12 studies for
cricket and has been playing passionately at the Mohali Cricket Academy for
three years now. Fitness, he kept maintaining, was the key to his becoming the
star. Ironically he had back problems which prevented him from performing in the
Twenty20 matches against sides like Leicester and Air India. Sukhvir has
been coached by Sukhwinder Sing Tinku and his idols are Brett Lee and Saurav
Ganguly. Sukhvir will get a contract to play at Leicester county in the UK.
Leicester have as their two overseas players Pakistani all-rounder Mansoor Amjad
and India's Rudra Pratap Singh.

Pradeep Vijayakar is assistant editor for 'The Times of India' newspaper

Leicestershire are close to an agreement with Leicester City Council to lift the convenant on Grace Road.

The convenant has meant for many years that the County are unable to sell off any part of land attached to the ground to fund the redevelopment of Grace Road. Now with the wheels in motion and the eventual lifting of the convenant, the County may consider selling the land that serves as the cricket nets and practise area behind the Meet side of the ground. The funds generated along with other future fundraising events would hopefully raise enough money to redevelop the whole of the Meet area.

The news was announced at the club's annual general meeting on Tuesday night, where chairman Neil Davidson was re-elected to the clubs board of directors. John Allen was also re-elected to the board and one of the wealthiest men in Leicestershire, David Wilson was re-elected to stand for another year as club president. Mike Turner's spell on the board ended though after a 50 year spell at the county as firstly a player and then eventually a chief executive.

Leicestershire overseas player Mansoor Amjad played a starring role for the National Bank of Pakistan as they won the one-day ABN-AMRO Patron's Cup Final in Lahore.

The 19 year old claimed 3-41 as their opponents Habib Bank Limited were bowled out for 205 and he then steered his side to victory with 7 balls top spare with an unbeaten 28.

After a mainly disappointing season, Amjad has really come to life in the ABN-AMRO Patron's Cup and it is good to see him finding some form ahead of Leicestershire's season which starts in less than a month.

Meanwhile, new overseas signing RP Singh was on the losing side for his team Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Semi-Final in India. Batting at number seven, RP made 6 in Pradesh's total of 224-6 from 50 overs and was then wicketless (0-40) as opponents Mumbai won with 6 balls remaining.

Leicestershire got back to winning ways on Wednesday against a Sri Lanka Academy XI in extremely hot conditions in Columbo.

Half centuries from John Sadler and Matt Boyce took County to a total of 259 from 50 overs as Jimmy Allenby chipped in with 40. The Sri Lankan's fell 11 runs short after being bowled out with 9 balls remaining as Jigar Naik claimed 3-62 and Daniel Rowe 2-60 with Harry Gurney and Ryan Cummins bowling tightly at the death.

Earlier in the week, the County had been given a thrashing at the hands of an experienced Sri Lanka Invitation XI. The Sri Lankan's clocked up a massive 360 from their 50 overs in ridiculously humid conditions in Columbo once again but Harry Gurney still managed to impress by taking 3-52. Leicestershire's young side responded by being bowled out for 80 with only John Maunders and Darren Robinson making double figures!

Leicestershire claimed the first victory of their tour of Asia with a win over a Sri Lanka Academy XI in a one day match at St Thomas College..

The Sri Lankans chose to bat first making 231 from their 50 overs with new signing David Stiff starring by taking 4 wickets. In reply John Maunders and Jimmy Allenby both made fifties until a middle order collapsed left the County needing 65 from 8 overs with 6 wickets down. Luckily, Tom New hit a swift 35 and with 25 needed from the final 3 overs, Dan Rowe hit three big sixes to see the Foxes to victory with only one ball remaining.

Rudra Pratap Singh, you have already taken 16 wickets in 3 matches this season with a best of 5/58 against Assam a few days back. So what are you future plans for this season?

Yeah, I have started off quite well this season. I want to continue with this performance for the rest of the season. I want to do well for my team in the Ranji Trophy, and also hope to get selected and do well in the Duleep Trophy in the future. I made my First Class debut last season, so in the future my plans are just to do well for my team so that I get selected to play for India.

Talk us through your early days in Cricket.

I am basically from Rai Bareilly, I did my schooling and college in Lucknow. Right from my childhood days I was very much into cricket. After completing my hostel and college, I got selected in the Under-19 team. Then I advanced to the India Under-19 team and that’s how it went for me.

How was the Under-19 World Cup experience in Dhaka for you?

I think that was one of the biggest tournaments I played till now. There were many nations which participated in that tournament, some were very competitive and some weren’t as competitive. I bowled quite decently throughout the tournament, so it was quite memorable.

Which was the most memorable match for you in that Tournament?

Yeah as I said, I bowled very well throughout that tournament. I was quite economical in the match against New Zealand. I think I took 2 wickets for just around 20-25 runs, but my most memorable match in that tournament had to be the one against Pakistan. It was a really low scoring match and we eventually lost that match, but even then I bowled really well and I got two quality batsmen out. I remember our captain Ambatti Rayudu was banned by the Match Referee and I think that was a really harsh decision. So that did affect our body language in that match. But inspite of all that we gave Pakistan a fight, and at the end of the day, I think we lost to a better team.

Many thanks to B.V.Swagath at cricketfundas.com for allowing us to use this interview.

Leicestershire have announced that Indian pace bowler Rudra Pratap Singh, has signed for the County as the second overseas player for 2007. Tim Boon took advantage of County's tour to India, to talk to the left armer seamer who just missed out on being selected for the India World Cup squad.

The 21 year old, known as RP, has played 2 Test matches and 20 One-Day internationals for his country and has been in fantastic form in Indian domestic cricket with his team Uttar Pradesh this season with whom he has taken 33 wickets in just 6 first class Ranji Trophy matches at an average of 18.72.

In January 2006, Singh claimed 4-89 on his test debut in the first innings against Pakistan and has a one-day international best of 4-35. He is described as 'deceptively quick'.

RP Singh's signing gives much needed strength to the Foxes pace attack and he looks like having great potential, but with a 19 year old and a 21 year old as their two overseas players for 2007, Leicestershire are taking a massive gamble. It remains to be seen if this gamble pays off but after doubts about the squad last year, which was a success, hopefully these fresh doubts can be overcome once again.

RP Singh Stats Link

Picture courtesy of cricketfundas.com

After dominating most of the game, Leicestershire threw away the match and lost out to the Cricket Star XI in a Twenty20 fixture in Mumbai.

Batting first, the County were at a healthy 90-2 from 8 overs but were undone by spinners Piyush Negi and Samandeep Singh as they crashed to 143 all out.

With the Cricket Star XI in reply, struggling at 90-7 with a 3 wicket haul from County spinner Jigar Naik, the match looked over but up stepped the same two players who did the damage with the ball and they both saw the Cricket Star XI to victory.

The match is expected to attract a massive audience when the highlights are shown on Zee Sports on Sunday.

More details about the teams and scores to follow shortly.

Young Leicestershire wicketkeeper/batsman Tom New had penned a new 2 year deal with the County.

The 22 year old is expected to start the season behind the stumps as Paul Nixon will still be on World Cup duty at the start of the County's campaign. Even when Nixon returns, New could still hold down a place in the team as a batsman alone and after showing steady signs of progression over the last couple of years, Tom just needs to add strength and more rapid run scoring to his game.

New's chances were limited in the Championship in 2006 but he shone in the tour matches by scoring 67 versus Pakistan and also scored 59 and 85 against West Indies A. Tom also scored 68 versus Northants in the C&G win at Oakham School and will be hoping he can find this kind of form early in the season.

Stuart Broad continued his fine form as he helped England A to two one-day match victories over Bangladesh A over the last few days.

In the first match, Broad claimed 2-45 from 9 overs as Nottinghamshire's Will Jefferson made 68 and Sussex's Matt Prior 84 not out and in the second match the Foxes paceman took 3-33 from 10 overs with Middlesex's Nick Compton top scoring with 64.

With this form, it makes England's selection of Saj Mahmood over Broad in the England World Cup squad look an even bigger mistake!

Match 1 Scorecard

Match 2 Scorecard

England's World Cup side crashed to a heavy defeat in to Australia in their final warm up match before the start of the tournament. After a steady start in which Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell both passed the half century mark, a massive collapse followed with England crashing to 197 all out. Paul Nixon contributed 6 from 16 balls before being caught behind by Adam Gilchrist off Stuart Clark.

Australia then cruised to victory with just under 10 overs remaining as openers Gilchrist and Shane Watson did the damage by puttin on 140. It was only the spinners, Jamie Dalrymple and Monty Panesar, that proved effective but the pace department was woeful and Nixon claimed just the one catch, that of Gilchrist.

This is a wake up call for England and it shows that the Aussies are still number one when they put their minds to it. With less than a week to go before the start of the World Cup, England do still not know what their pace attack will be! Anyone else worried?!

Scorecard

Leicestershire have announced that they are to tour India and Sri Lanka as part of their pre-season warm up.

Tim Boon has named a 15 man squad that will fly out to Sri Lanka on Sunday for the 12 day tour which will consist of a number of one-day games including a Twenty20 match against a Cricket Star XI on March 15th, made up from contestants from India's Cricket Star TV show, which is taking the asian country by storm and the match coud be watched by upto 60 million people! The Foxes will also play three one-day matches in Sri Lanka and the tour has been funded by some local businesses and prominent asian companies.

The squad will be without most of the County's top players though, as HD Ackerman, Claude Henderson, Stuart Broad, Paul Nixon, Jeremy Snape and Mansoor Amjad are all unavailable. Ackerman and Henderson are still playing domestic cricket in South Africa, Broad is with England A in Bangladesh, Amjad is finishing off his season in Pakistan and Nixon and Snape are away in the Caribbean with the small matter of the World Cup!

Coach Tim Boon will also use the tour to talk to a possible and as yet un-named overseas player in Mumbai.

Squad:

Darren Robinson (capt), Jimmy Allenby, Matt Boyce, Ryan Cummins, Harry Gurney, Paul Harrison, David Masters, John Maunders, Jigar Naik, Tom New, Marc Rosenberg, Dan Rowe, Jon Sadler, David Stiff, Nick Walker.

County skipper Jeremy Snape has been drafted in by Duncan Fletcher to act as an Assistant Coach for the England World Cup squad.

The 33 year old will be with the squad for the next 10 days to help mentally prepare the players for the tournament. Snape had been in the Caribbean working with some of the 'minor' nations competing in the tournament but now gets the chance with his own country who he made 10 one-day International appearances for a number of years ago.

'Snapper' has been carving out a reputation for himself with his sports psychology and has his own company, 'Sporting Edge Solutions'.

England cruised to a massive victory over Bermuda in their first World Cup warm up match in the warm and windy St Vincent.

Jamie Dalrymple top scored with 76 in England's total of 286-8 and Leicestershire's Paul Nixon made 17. Nixon's 25 ball knock came to an end when he smashed a powerful on drive into the hands of Kevin Hurdle on the boundary.

Bermuda's reply was poor even by the minnow's standard as they crumbled to 45 all out. Jon Lewis was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed 3-7 as James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff picked up two wickets a piece. Paul Nixon took one catch behind the stumps but the match will be most remembered for one player, Bermuda's Dwayne Leverock. The 35 year old spinner weighs in at 20 stone and is nicknamed 'Sluggo' but if you forget his rather obvious lack of fitness, he is actually a pretty decent spinner and proved that in this match with an impressive 2-32 from his 10 overs!