On the day that nominations close for the chairmanship of the ECB, Giles Clarke's opponents have put forward in Lord Marland of Odstock, the former Treasurer of the Conservative Party, a serious candidate to challenge him.
Marland's candidature has been forwarded by Lancashire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire and four other clubs have pledged their support. It leaves him short of a majority, but is enough to encourage him that Clarke's re-election is not the formality previously supposed and that a proper debate about the future direction of English cricket should take place.
Last Friday, there were reports that Clarke's opponents had failed to find a challenger, although Marland had told confidants that he was standing only the evening before. The declaration of his candidature has been carefully orchestrated since then, culminating with this morning's announcement, which it is hoped will cause Clarke maximum discomfort since it coincides with the ECB brainstorming session at Stapleford Park in Leicestershire that will involve many of the game's decision-makers.
Marland is an ardent cricket supporter, having travelled to India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in the past few years to watch England play. He made his fortune as a founding director of Jardine Lloyd Thompson, the insurance company, although he is better known because of his links with the Conservative Party. He was Treasurer under Michael Howard, helped to run Boris Johnson's campaign for London Mayor, and was ennobled by David Cameron. Marland's supporters hope that his combination of enthusiasm for cricket, successful business background and strong links to a party at present favourites to return to government at the next election will be a vote-winner.
Speaking of his decision to run for the chairmanship, Marland told The Times: “As a cricket fan I am utterly frustrated by the underachievement of English cricket since the great Ashes victory in 2005, culminating in the shambles of both captain and coach effectively being sacked on the same day two weeks ago. I've been contacted by a lot of cricket supporters and several county chairmen who have encouraged me to put my name forward.
“I believe that the running of the ECB needs a thorough review and that will be one of my first priorities. It is quite clear from the conversations I have had with a number of senior figures within the game that the counties are divided about the current leadership and these fences need mending. It is time to focus everyone's attention and energies on the need to make England a successful team again, along with a vibrant grassroots structure.”
This is not the first time that Marland has involved himself with the politics of sport. He was almost persuaded to run for the chairmanship of the Football Association two years ago and he chairs a non-profit-making organisation called the Sports Nexus that describes itself as “an independent voice which challenges the structures, practice and accountability of British sporting institutions”.
Marland's supporters are Leicestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Surrey, Yorkshire and MCC. Neil Davidson, the chairman of Leicestershire, and Rod Bransgrove, the chairman of Hampshire, have been outspoken critics of Clarke and have been involved in persuading Marland to run. Clarke's opponents point to the Stanford controversies, the Moores and Pietersen fiasco, and the failure to build relationships as evidence of a time for change. They believe that his bullying approach has resulted in a culture of confrontation within the English game that is unhealthy.
Clarke is not without his supporters, though, and is the favourite to win a second term. His followers say that few chairmen have had to cope with so many complex issues at a time when cricket has been undergoing fundamental changes. Clarke has made the job of chairman almost full-time, with a direct, hands-on approach that has endeared him to some county chairmen. The biggest feather in his cap (as far as the counties are concerned) was renegotiating a deal with Sky, worth £300million over five years, before the credit crunch struck.
Marland now has two weeks to make his case to those chairmen in favour of the status quo. Big cheese that he is, he will find Clarke a tough opponent to beat.
source:the londontimes
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Andy Murray's Australian Open quest begins with short but sweet victory
There were only 45 minutes on the courtside clock when Andy Murray was shaking hands at the net and his Australian Open quest was off to a blissfully brief and successful start. The circumstances of it were not beneficial for tennis, as Andrei Pavel's ravaged back gave out and supporters were short changed but Murray, though sympathetic with his stricken opponent, was hiding his true feelings. This was a bonus he could not have expected.
After last year's horrendous start to the championship on the same Rod Laver Arena against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, a helping hand into the second round of the 2009 event was not to be refused. Pavel, the 34-year-old Romanian, had not played for 11 months, indeed his doctors first told him he would be mad to play again with his back in such a degenerative state. He chose to give it a go but clearly he could not hit the ball properly and, in retrospect, it would have been better had he not tried at all.
Murray won't mind that, especially on a day that was so warm that an unusual number of seagulls chose to spend their morning dozing in the shade on the banks of the River Yarra alongside which Melbourne Park was built. This was not an occasion for unnecessary flying around. It is a sensational with which Murray would concur and a 6-2, 3-1 victory was, thus, gratefully accepted.
These first round matches are to be won, and won with as little fuss as possible. Even if you come into the tournament with eight victories in ten days under your belt, beating Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick in the process, a grand slam tournament is a different ball game altogether. Murray may not have been that thrilled to be scheduled to play first, an 11 oclock start with the sun directly over the courts, making the ball toss on the serve especially difficult. And the British No.1 has made a conscious decision these days to dispense with the peaked cap - he even used to go to bed in one - and yesterday some additional protection might have come in very useful. Two of his double faults, when facing into the sun, were comically bad.
As one would have anticipated, it took a while for the match to groove. The crowd had their hands full, with fans, water bottles, sunglasses and sunblock, and so applause at the odd good shot was muted, which lent the occasion an ambience more like LTA County Cup than a grand slam tournament. Murray did not want to over exert himself, he probably hit only half a dozen shots that could be described as top-class, he did all that he had to in the circumstances. Once Pavel was broken successively at 3-2 and 5-2, he was already feeling the small of his back.
The trainer was called for a rigorous massage at the start of the second set and though he held his first service game to love - as did Murray - when the Romanian was broken to love in the third and Murray held without concern, Pavel's next backhand into the net was his last contribution to proceedings.
Murray will next face Marcel Granollers, of Spain, in the second round. The Scot and the Spaniard, ranked 51, have never played against each other before.
source: the london times
After last year's horrendous start to the championship on the same Rod Laver Arena against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, a helping hand into the second round of the 2009 event was not to be refused. Pavel, the 34-year-old Romanian, had not played for 11 months, indeed his doctors first told him he would be mad to play again with his back in such a degenerative state. He chose to give it a go but clearly he could not hit the ball properly and, in retrospect, it would have been better had he not tried at all.
Murray won't mind that, especially on a day that was so warm that an unusual number of seagulls chose to spend their morning dozing in the shade on the banks of the River Yarra alongside which Melbourne Park was built. This was not an occasion for unnecessary flying around. It is a sensational with which Murray would concur and a 6-2, 3-1 victory was, thus, gratefully accepted.
These first round matches are to be won, and won with as little fuss as possible. Even if you come into the tournament with eight victories in ten days under your belt, beating Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick in the process, a grand slam tournament is a different ball game altogether. Murray may not have been that thrilled to be scheduled to play first, an 11 oclock start with the sun directly over the courts, making the ball toss on the serve especially difficult. And the British No.1 has made a conscious decision these days to dispense with the peaked cap - he even used to go to bed in one - and yesterday some additional protection might have come in very useful. Two of his double faults, when facing into the sun, were comically bad.
As one would have anticipated, it took a while for the match to groove. The crowd had their hands full, with fans, water bottles, sunglasses and sunblock, and so applause at the odd good shot was muted, which lent the occasion an ambience more like LTA County Cup than a grand slam tournament. Murray did not want to over exert himself, he probably hit only half a dozen shots that could be described as top-class, he did all that he had to in the circumstances. Once Pavel was broken successively at 3-2 and 5-2, he was already feeling the small of his back.
The trainer was called for a rigorous massage at the start of the second set and though he held his first service game to love - as did Murray - when the Romanian was broken to love in the third and Murray held without concern, Pavel's next backhand into the net was his last contribution to proceedings.
Murray will next face Marcel Granollers, of Spain, in the second round. The Scot and the Spaniard, ranked 51, have never played against each other before.
source: the london times
Blow for England as Matt Stevens admits drug use
Matt Stevens, the Bath prop, has been withdrawn from the England squad after admitting in a television interview yesterday that he has failed a drugs test. The player, struggling to keep his emotions in check, said that what had started as a night out with friends had become a habit for which he needed counselling.
But he added that he had taken no performance-enhancing drug and if he can prove that to the satisfaction of any judicial hearing, he could escape a lengthy suspension. The best that Stevens, 26, can hope for is a severe reprimand but no ban; the worst is a two-year ban and a huge slur on his character. Were he to have taken a performance-enhancing drug, the maximum penalty would be a life ban.
The test was made after the Heineken Cup game between Bath and Glasgow Warriors at the Recreation Ground on December 7, in line with the random procedure to which all players in the competition submit. “I was tested for a prohibited substance but it’s not performance-enhancing so you can take what you want from that,” Stevens said, inferring that a “social” drug such as marijuana could be involved. “It’s pretty distressing talking about this. When you think about how much time people have put into my career and I have thrown it away.”
The problem began after what Stevens described as a “big night out” with friends. “It wasn’t a big deal but that’s the problem with drugs, it so quickly became a big deal,” he said. “I owe it to everyone to admit that and that’s what I want to do. I truly am very sorry.” Stevens took counselling but did not take initial advice seriously. He has placed at risk his career with both club and country, and potentially a second tour with the Lions to South Africa this summer. “I want to change my life and hopefully, one day, get the faith back that people had in me,” he said.
The RFU were told by European Rugby Cup Ltd, organisers of the Heineken Cup, that Stevens had failed a test after his A sample had been submitted to a Wada-certified laboratory. Once a violation is confirmed, the player is suspended from all competition and the immediate effect is that Bath, who face a critical pool game against Toulouse at the Recreation Ground on Sunday, will be without one of their two current England internationals.
He has also been removed from England’s elite player squad and will not travel to Portugal on Monday for warm-weather training prior to the RBS Six Nations Championship. Martin Johnson, the manager who confirmed the squad only a week ago, will name a replacement shortly — Julian White, the veteran Leicester prop, is a candidate — and the prospects of Stevens being involved in the championship, which begins for England against Italy on February 7, must be remote.
His admission will be a blow to the RFU, the only member of the International Rugby Board to have a full-time doping officer, Gavin Dovey. Drug-taking is not considered a serious problem within the game but the fact that Dovey is employed indicates that the RFU is not hiding its head in the sand; only last month a Manchester prop, Marshall Gadd, was banned for two years for use of a banned steroid.
Statistics for a five-year period from 2003-08 from UK Sport show that rugby union had 62 positive tests, of which 14 were cleared. Of the remainder, 44 players were banned and four received reprimands. Few of the positive findings involved players at the elite end of the game but when an international player is involved, the negative impact on the game as a whole is far greater.
“We are shocked at this news, which is very out of character for Matt,” Damien Hopley, the chief executive of the Professional Rugby Players’ Association, said. “He had built a reputation as a fine ambassador for the game, who does a tremendous amount of voluntary work for a number of charities and good causes. We will be doing everything we can to provide Matt with the support he needs at this very difficult time.”
source:thelondontimes
But he added that he had taken no performance-enhancing drug and if he can prove that to the satisfaction of any judicial hearing, he could escape a lengthy suspension. The best that Stevens, 26, can hope for is a severe reprimand but no ban; the worst is a two-year ban and a huge slur on his character. Were he to have taken a performance-enhancing drug, the maximum penalty would be a life ban.
The test was made after the Heineken Cup game between Bath and Glasgow Warriors at the Recreation Ground on December 7, in line with the random procedure to which all players in the competition submit. “I was tested for a prohibited substance but it’s not performance-enhancing so you can take what you want from that,” Stevens said, inferring that a “social” drug such as marijuana could be involved. “It’s pretty distressing talking about this. When you think about how much time people have put into my career and I have thrown it away.”
The problem began after what Stevens described as a “big night out” with friends. “It wasn’t a big deal but that’s the problem with drugs, it so quickly became a big deal,” he said. “I owe it to everyone to admit that and that’s what I want to do. I truly am very sorry.” Stevens took counselling but did not take initial advice seriously. He has placed at risk his career with both club and country, and potentially a second tour with the Lions to South Africa this summer. “I want to change my life and hopefully, one day, get the faith back that people had in me,” he said.
The RFU were told by European Rugby Cup Ltd, organisers of the Heineken Cup, that Stevens had failed a test after his A sample had been submitted to a Wada-certified laboratory. Once a violation is confirmed, the player is suspended from all competition and the immediate effect is that Bath, who face a critical pool game against Toulouse at the Recreation Ground on Sunday, will be without one of their two current England internationals.
He has also been removed from England’s elite player squad and will not travel to Portugal on Monday for warm-weather training prior to the RBS Six Nations Championship. Martin Johnson, the manager who confirmed the squad only a week ago, will name a replacement shortly — Julian White, the veteran Leicester prop, is a candidate — and the prospects of Stevens being involved in the championship, which begins for England against Italy on February 7, must be remote.
His admission will be a blow to the RFU, the only member of the International Rugby Board to have a full-time doping officer, Gavin Dovey. Drug-taking is not considered a serious problem within the game but the fact that Dovey is employed indicates that the RFU is not hiding its head in the sand; only last month a Manchester prop, Marshall Gadd, was banned for two years for use of a banned steroid.
Statistics for a five-year period from 2003-08 from UK Sport show that rugby union had 62 positive tests, of which 14 were cleared. Of the remainder, 44 players were banned and four received reprimands. Few of the positive findings involved players at the elite end of the game but when an international player is involved, the negative impact on the game as a whole is far greater.
“We are shocked at this news, which is very out of character for Matt,” Damien Hopley, the chief executive of the Professional Rugby Players’ Association, said. “He had built a reputation as a fine ambassador for the game, who does a tremendous amount of voluntary work for a number of charities and good causes. We will be doing everything we can to provide Matt with the support he needs at this very difficult time.”
source:thelondontimes
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