NEW YEAR 2008

SUPPORTERS' CLUB NEWS

ABSENT FRIENDS
It is with the utmost sadness that we have to report the passing of Val Beeston, who died in February following a short illness. Val was a much liked and staunch follower of Surrey and some of you will remember, back in the 1980's, the Sundays she and husband Robbie sacrificed to run away coach trips for the then Surrey CCC Supporters' Association. Our thoughts go out to Robbie and Val's daughter Corrine at this difficult time. Being a lover of animals, donations can be made in Val's memory to the RSPCA. Since Christmas we have also learnt of the passing of Kevin Henriques and Marion Lynn, both of whom were members of the Supporters' Club.

CHRISTMAS DRAW 2007
The Supporters' Club (Bickers) Christmas Draw made a profit of £1,212. Of this, a £250 donation will be made to the CHASE Ben Hollioake Fund, £250 will be used to keep membership fees at their current levels and £200 will go towards sponsoring the Supporters' Club's away coaches this summer. The remainder will be given to the SCCC Schools Outreach Programme through the Century Club. Just to confirm, the result of last year's Supporters' Club Christmas Draw, which was made at our Christmas Party on 17 December was as follows:

1st - Ticket No. 39362 - Mrs A Barrington - £1,206
2nd - 73319 - David Woolf - Free membership of Surrey CCC
3rd - 53096 - Bill Bateman - £141
4th - 45007 - K M Tipper - £98
5th - 19778 - Leigh Millington-Jones - Theatre tickets
6th - 66229 - M L Mitchell - £20 voucher
7th - 78836 - Tony Arnold - £10
8th - 29290 - Mr A Prior - £10
9th - 39363 - Mrs A Barrington - £10
10th - 03510 - Stan Randall - £10

We would like to thank all of the members of the Supporters' Club who bought and sold tickets.

COACH TRIPS 2008
The Supporters' Club will be arranging coach trips for Surrey's Pro40 League away fixtures at Chesterfield and Edgbaston. Further details will be published in the next issue of Oval World, but we would like to remind members that in order for these coaches to run, we do need in the region of 20-25 people to attend. So, if you are thinking of going please inform Ann Atkins (telephone 020-8672-7919) at the earliest opportunity, as it could influence whether or not the trip happens. Further coaches on 4 June and on 4/5 July are dependent on Surrey progressing to the knockout stage of the Friends Provident Trophy.

AWAY TRAVEL FOR CROYDONIANS
Jackie Butcher would like to hear from anyone in Croydon, or who can easily get to Croydon, who would be interested in travelling to away matches by coach. To register your interest or to find out more details, please telephone Jackie on 020-8777-0744.

TWO DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
A provisional date of Friday, 6 June has been chosen for the Supporters' Club's annual Greyhound Evening at Wimbledon Stadium. Also, on Tuesday, 9 September the club will be marking its thirtieth anniversary with a dinner at Rebato's Wine & Tapas Bar, 169 South Lambeth Road. This will take place after play has ended on the first day of Hampshire's championship visit to the Brit Oval. Further details regarding these events will appear in the next edition of Oval World.

MEMBERSHIP 2008
Following the continued success of the Christmas Draw (see above) and the Supporters' Club's secure financial position, the SCCCSC committee has once again decided to keep the same membership fees as before - so, that's £5.00 for full members, £3.00 for seniors and £1.00 a year for junior members. Click HERE for a membership subscription form.

RAMPS SWEEPSTAKE
As is seems inconceivable that Mark Ramprakash will not make at least three first-class hundreds this summer - having struck 18 in the last two seasons - the Supporters' Club is running a sweepstake on when Ramps will notch up his one hundredth first-class hundred. So far, he has made 97. Half of the takings will go to the winner of the sweepstake and the other half will go towards Mark's joint Testimonial with the groundsman at the Brit Oval, Bill Gordon. For each guess of the date (and session) on which this feat will be achieved, £5.00 needs to go into the kitty. In the event of more than one person forecasting the correct date, the predicted session will serve as the tie-breaker; so please ensure that if you enter you state the date and the session in which you think the landmark will be reached. Cheques should be made payable to the SCCC Supporters' Club, and sent, along with your contact details and pick(s), to Marcus Hook at Flat 1, 67 Birdhurst Rise, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 7EJ. The closing date for entries is Friday, 11 April 2008.

A JOURNEY OF HOPE
A Journey Of Hope is the account of the extraordinary life led by Surrey CCC Supporters' Club member, Bob Parsons. From a childhood spent in poverty, growing up on the streets of London in war-torn Balham, Bob went on to found a charity that continues to provide hope for many handicapped, orphaned, poor and exploited children around the world. All proceeds from the book will go to the Hope For Children charity (www.hope-for-children.org).A Journey Of Hope can be yours for £7.49 (which includes postage and packaging). Cheques should be made payable to Hope For Children. In addition, please send your name and address to: Hope For Children, Freepost, SCE 12743, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 2BR.

CENTURY CLUB

The results of the final three Century Club draws of 2007 and the first draw of 2008 were as follows:

10th Draw 2007
1st - £50 - Brian Sanders (No.59)
2nd - £15 - Trevor Jones (No.30)
3rd - £10 - Michael Power (No.9)

11th Draw 2007
1st - £50 - Jonathan Miller (No.6)
2nd - £15 - Doug Minde (No.106)
3rd - £10 - Phil Garrard (No.53)

12th Draw 2007
1st - £250 - Chris Payne (No.27)
2nd - £30 - Jonathan Miller (No.6)
3rd - £20 - Bob Parsons (No.16)

1st Draw 2008
1st - £50 - G L R Smith (No.42)
2nd - £15 - J E Taverner (No.15)
3rd - £10 - Rod Burridge (No.74)

Anyone wishing to become a Century Club member can do so by sending a cheque for £36 (made payable to the SCCCSC Century Club) along with their details to Sarah Atkins at The Cheviots, 236 Ashbourne Road, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 2DR.

TEAM, CLUB AND OTHER NEWS

NICHO CALLS TIME ON NSW CAREER
Matt Nicholson has joined the growing list of veteran Australian cricketers who have chosen to retire from their domestic game at the end of the current season. The 33-year-old announced that New South Wales' Pura Cup match against South Australia at Sydney, starting on 7 March, will be his last. However, Nicholson is committed to playing county cricket for Surrey this year. The timing of his decision means he will not be part of the New South Wales team for the Pura Cup final, despite only missing two matches all season. During the current campaign Nicholson has taken 16 wickets at 30.68, while younger speedsters like Doug Bollinger and Mark Cameron have stepped into his shoes. Nicholson was quoted as saying: "It's the right time to finish with the Blues. I have loved playing cricket here and I will take some tremendous memories with me. I would love to stay involved with the game, perhaps as a fast-bowling coach or in a player mentor role." David Gilbert, the chief executive of Cricket New South Wales, said Nicholson had been an excellent contributor to the state in recent seasons. "Matt has been an outstanding performer for the Blues since joining us in 2003," said Gilbert, who added: "His total professionalism to the game, whether in training or playing, has been a shining example to his team-mates."

PCA ANNOUNCES SKIN CANCER SCREENING
The Professional Cricketers Association have promised to screen over 400 county players for skin cancer over the course of the forthcoming season. The PCA's assistant group chief executive, Jason Ratcliffe, who played for Surrey and Warwickshire, said: "Every first class player will get a 20-minute check from a visiting nurse. We are working with the charity Screen4Life and aiming to fit into the county schedules so that we can make sure we are looking after our players properly." Screen4Life are already offering assistance in a similar initiative with golf's European PGA Tour, testing players and caddies. According to UK-based Screen4Life there are 100,000 cases of skin cancer detected in the UK each year with more people now dying from it here than in Australia.

BROWN TURNS DOWN IPL OFFER
On 3 March, the CricInfo website revealed that Surrey's Alistair Brown had rejected an offer to join the Mumbai IPL franchise. Brown was contacted by Harbhajan Singh and asked whether he would be interested in signing up but declined after decided to keep to his new one-year county deal. A Surrey spokesman told CricInfo: "He was very flattered to receive the offer to play among some of the world's leading cricketers, but he has decided to honour his Surrey deal." Brown's record puts him up with the most successful one-day players. He has racked up over 10,000 runs, including a career best and world record score of 268, which he struck against Glamorgan in 2002. The Mumbai team also includes Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock. So far, no English players have signed up for the IPL's opening season, which starts in mid-April. Surrey are still waiting for confirmation from the ECB surrounding the status of Saqlain Mushtaq who is part of the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL). The club says that the "complex and unique situation" is taking a while to resolve but they are being led by the ECB. It is unclear whether Saqlain, who is now England qualified, requires the No Obligation Certificate (NOC) from his home board before be can play for the Brown Caps again.

SURREY IN CHASE FOR POLLOCK
The Surrey Advertiser (29 February) has revealed that the Brown Caps are one of five counties courting the 34-year-old South African all-rounder, Shaun Pollock, whom they are keen to sign for this summer's Twenty20 Cup. Having recently retired from international cricket, Pollock could be signed as a Kolpak player. With £1m on offer for the team that wins next winter's Premier Cricket League Twenty20 tournament in India, Surrey are seeking to revive their fortunes in the instant and increasingly lucrative form of the game. However, in order to secure the South African's services they will have to beat off competition from Glamorgan, Sussex, Warwickshire and Yorkshire. But as Pollock is due to be based in London thanks to Sky Sports commitments for the England v South Africa Test series he is reported to be interested in turning out for Surrey rather than Warwickshire, for whom he played in 1996 and 2002.

OVAL'S REDEVELOPMENT PLANS STALLED
Surrey County Cricket Club's plans to redevelop the Brit Oval with a hotel and new stand, which would expand capacity by 5,000, have been left in disarray after the Health & Safety Executive requested a stop notice preventing the granting of planning permission. The Executive remains concerned by the proximity of the famous Oval gasholders to the new development and the potential danger they would pose to spectators. The Guardian newspaper (27 February) reported that the HSE will now consider whether to ask government to "call in" the development, leading to delays in the construction process that could kill off the project.

ECB GETS TOUGH ON UNOFFICIAL TOURNAMENTS
The ECB has toughened its stance against "unofficial events" around the globe - making it clear players tempted to sign up for such tournaments will be jeopardising their chances of being picked to represent their country. At its board meeting on 27 February, the ECB was given a full report on the impact and threat of unauthorised events to the infrastructure of the sport. The Board showed its determination to distance itself from any promoter, agent or individual involved in such events by reaffirming its policy concerning the staging of unauthorised events within England and Wales; in which no member, or venue receiving any funding from the ECB, will be allowed to host such events. It was further noted that unqualified cricketers requiring a No Objection Certificate to be registered for cricket in England and Wales are unlikely to receive such certificates from their home boards if they participate in unauthorised events.

OVAL JOINS LORD'S AS 2009 T20 VENUE
On 20 February the ECB announced the Brit Oval would be the second venue, after Lord's - which will host the final - for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament, due to be held in England. Surrey's home ground will be put forward as the host of warm-up, group and Super 8 matches as well as a semi-final. Surrey chief executive, Paul Sheldon, told the BBC London 94.9 radio station: "We're thrilled. We've spent a lot of time on the bid process over the last few months. We are perhaps the home of Twenty20 cricket. We run it nicely, we have a fantastic atmosphere and of course have wonderful attendance. The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been very much behind our bid and [it is great] for Lambeth, the borough that we are in, which is regenerating itself and changing very fast. It's wonderful for all these reasons for this area to have it and for London as a whole with the Olympics only three years away."

BUTCHER WARY OF WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION ON JORDAN
Mark Butcher has said that he is not expecting huge things from Surrey's young superstar, Chris Jordan. In an exclusive interview with Surrey TV (20 February), Butcher was very wary of placing too much pressure on the young shoulders of the 19-year-old; suggesting that he was just looking "for him to go out with the same kind of attitude to cricket that he did" last season. Jordan burst onto the county scene towards the end of 2007 and in just five LV County Championship matches picked up 20 wickets at 24.50 runs apiece for the Brown Caps. The Surrey captain added: "There was terrific pressure in those last six or seven games and for a young guy, who has just come in, to play with such a cool head and such enjoyment in the circumstances was incredible and showed the skills that he has. I will be looking for more of the same."

ECB TO INVEST £30 MILLION OVER NEXT FIVE YEARS
On 4 February, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced its intention to invest heavily developing a cricket academy as it spends its unprecedented wealth on building for the game's future. In addition, county grounds will be equipped with floodlighting and state-of-the-art drainage systems. The £30m investment package, which represents a five-year plan, also includes the launching of a scholarship programme, with two players from each of the county academies - that is 36 of the best young talents in the country - receiving a grant to pay or help pay for playing and getting top-level coaching abroad in the winter. There will be a further £1m investment in the National Performance Centre at Loughborough and subsidies to 10,000 new coaches going through Level I and 2 courses. Some £14m of grant aid will be paid to 2,000 community clubs. A sum of £9m has been earmarked for floodlighting at all the county grounds and £6m for sophisticated drainage systems to match that at Lord's. David Green, the chairman of Sussex, said: "This is a fantastic package. It is the best the game has ever had. Having seen what good drainage can do at Lord's last season, when there was a deluge only for play to resume a couple of hours later, it will be terrific for other county grounds to have the same facilities. That day's play at Lord's would have been a total washout, with millions lost. But I also applaud the money going into the academies." Nigel Hilliard, the Essex chairman, said: "I applaud the fact that this plan provides a clear strategy and we recognise the benefits." Even Leicestershire's chairman Neil Davidson, an outspoken critic of the ECB, said: "Any new money going into the game is a good thing, though it doesn't answer my main criticism, which is about the disparity in the money going to the rich and the poor counties." Giles Clarke, chairman of the ECB, said: "Cricket in England and Wales has never seen this level of financial support and it is entirely due to the strong relationships with all the game's partners of broadcasters, sponsors and spectators. Our resources are being targeted to build the continuing affection of the nation with its summer sport and to give people of all ages and walks of life the chance to play and watch in the best surroundings."

NICHOLSON TO START 2008 AS SURREY'S OVERSEAS REG
On 2 February Surrey CCC announced that Matt Nicholson, the Australian fast bowler, will deputise for Mohammad Asif for the first half of the season - and possibly the entire summer. Nicholson took 44 championship wickets for the Brown Caps last term, but with uncertainty over Asif's involvement, he could play a fuller role than was first anticipated. Not only will Asif be unavailable until June at the earliest, the Pakistan Cricket Board has also expressed concerns about his workload. Alan Butcher, the Surrey manager, said: "The Pakistan board have said they are not going to allow their quick bowlers to play county cricket, which is understandable as most of their first-choice bowlers are on the sidelines at the moment. So, while we have a contract, it must be said it's far from certain that he'll be able to take up that contract. At the end of last season Matt made it very plain that he'd be delighted to come back and play for us, and I know that everyone in the dressing room is really delighted he will be with us for at least the first part of the season. I would have no qualms at all if it turned into a full season's contract."

HARBHAJAN'S RACIST CHARGE DROPPED
On 29 January, the India off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh - who represented Surrey in 2005 and 2007 - had a charge of alleged racism during Second Test in Sydney in early January reduced to the lesser offence of using abusive language. On day three of the Sydney clash, Harbhajan was charged under the ICC Code of Conduct following his on-field altercation with Andrew Symonds. Harbhajan was summoned to a hearing with match referee Mike Procter for "using language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person's race, religion, gender, colour, descent, or national or ethic origin". After the game the 27-year-old was found guilty of making a racist comment to Symonds and handed a three-Test ban. However, after the Indian team rallied around Harbhajan and refused to leave for Canberra until it received further instructions from the Indian board, but an appeal was filed against the ban with the ICC and the tour of Australia continued. Sadly, the matter continued to cloud the trip. The Indian team manager Chetan Chauhan accused Symonds of breaking a pact when he instigated the confrontation with Harbhajan. The Australian opener Matthew Hayden branded the spinner a "little obnoxious weed" in a radio interview before being forced by Cricket Australia to apologise for the remark; then Harbhajan was accused of making monkey gestures and spitting at sections of the crowd as India beat Australia in the first match of the Commonwealth Bank Series final - a charge rejected by match referee Jeff Crowe after he reviewed the available photographic evidence.

SURREY CHIEF HITS BACK AT CLAIMS OF A WIDENING GAP
Following the claims of the Leicestershire chairman, Neil Davidson that the move to two divisions in the county game had created a widening gap between the rich and poor clubs, with the six Test-match venues plus Hampshire, Kent and Sussex earning £17.6 million in 2006 while the remaining smaller counties earned only £6.6 million, Surrey's chief executive, Paul Sheldon hit back by suggesting Davidson had got his sums wrong. Sheldon dismissed the findings and told the Daily Telegraph (25 January): "We can refute every financial argument that he puts. The Test-match playing counties give £2 million a year to the centre, which is then redistributed among the smaller counties. We are the most financially robust of all the counties and we have not won anything for years. Sussex is not a Test-match venue and yet they have won everything. His research and reporting, although some of it is quite interesting, is flawed by the fact that his figures are erroneous. I cannot understand why he would do this without checking his facts. It does not seem anyone supports his views because his facts are just wrong." Giles Clarke, the new chairman of the ECB added: "It was deeply regrettable that Mr Davidson saw fit to release a paper which contained factual inaccuracies and ignored the findings of last year's independent KPMG report, which concluded that the international grounds did not obtain financial benefit after taking into account facility and operating costs from international matches."

BUTCHER GETS IN TUNE FOR THE NEW SEASON
Surrey captain Mark Butcher has spent his winter in the recording studio working on a debut album. Speaking to Surrey TV about the chance take his creative side a stage further, Butcher said: "I'm really excited about it [the album] as it is something I have always dreamed of doing. To be able to go in and record ten or eleven songs, nearly all of my own work, is a really good opportunity. The guy producing it is called Matt Taylor, who I met half way through last summer. He's a fantastic guitar player and has become a good friend. He offered to produce it with a couple of other guys who have played in bands like Jamiroquai."

RAMPS RECALLS AUSSIE RACISM
Mark Ramprakash has said he only ever experienced serious racism on the cricket field when playing Australia. The Surrey batsman's comments followed the incident between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test match. Ramprakash, whose father was born in Guyana to Indian parents, said at the British Asian Sports Awards that racism was not a major issue in cricket. "There's certainly no problem with racism in county cricket and overall I wouldn't say the game in the international arena suffers from it really. Of course I've played cricket for a long time now and you expect it now and again from a few supporters who are tanked up after drinking all day. The only time I've suffered any abuse of a serious racial kind in international cricket is against the Australians so I'm not sure what that says about them." Ramprakash did not elaborate on when the abuse occurred or what was said, but he certainly faced the Australians plenty of times over the course of his career. He played 12 Tests against Australia across five Ashes series from 1993 to 2001 and clearly did not let them get to him - he averaged 42.40 in Tests against Australia compared to an overall career mark of 27.32. He also said he found it hard to believe Harbhajan would have directed a racist remark towards Symonds. "I've played with Harbhajan for two seasons at Surrey and having got to know him well it's not the kind of thing I imagine he would say," said Ramprakash. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Ramprakash's county captain, Mark Butcher added: "Harbhajan was a pleasure to captain. I'm surprised at the racism suggestion and of course that is unacceptable if it is true, but it is a bit rich of the Aussies to complain about sledging when they invented it. Andrew Symonds is never backwards in coming forwards and it is interesting to me that Harbhajan was batting when this happened. In my time in the game a batsman has never started a sledging incident."

SURREY UNVEIL GROUND IN SRI LANKA
In December, Surrey unveiled their cricket village ground in Magonna, Sri Lanka, a project undertaken in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. Surrey's chief executive, Paul Sheldon declared the pavilion open at the venue, around one-and-a-half hours south of the capital Colombo. The Oval Cricket Relief Trust has provided £1million of funding for five projects around the island, including the village, which has been a joint production between the county and the Sri Lanka cricket board. The village, which comprises 45 homes for coast dwellers who lost their houses in the December 2004 disaster, was officially launched in February this year. The cricket ground is the centrepiece of the community project in the south-west of the island and should be ready for its first match within a couple of months. Sheldon said: "Cricket is a massive part of life in Sri Lanka and we are committed to working with the national cricket board here and others around the world to help it benefit local communities." A large proportion of the funding for the venture was raised in a Twenty20 contest between an Asian XI and a Rest of the World team at the Brit Oval in June 2005.

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