Press along George's (Cricket)

[Willi]

St George's top 'A' League

Published: Friday | March 4, 2011 0 Comments


Members of St George's College's victorious team hold aloft their captain, Russell Lee (centre), following the final of the ISSA/First Global 'A' League at Melbourne Oval yesterday. St George's defeated Mona by an innings and 75 runs to claim the title. - Ian Allen/Photographer





Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer St George's College copped their first major cricket title in 15 years when they defeated Mona High by an innings and 79 runs in the final of the urban area ISSA/First Global 'A' League at Melbourne Oval yesterday.
Resuming on 167 for three on yesterday's second and final day of the encounter, the champions went on to post 279 in their first innings in reply to Mona's 134, posted on the first day.
Captain Russell Lee, who was 57 not out overnight, went on to top score with 71, and Shandy Blair got 68 for St George's against Mona's Dean Martin, three for 47, and Kadeen Miller, two for 45.
With a lead of 145, St George's then went on to dismiss Mona for 66 in their second innings.
Pacers Blair and Christoff Young ended with figures of four for 20 and three for 22, respectively, for St George's.
Winning coach Glendon Coke, who is in his second season with the North Street-based school, was all smiles following the contest.
Long wait for title
"I think we played the best cricket throughout the season and are today deserving winners," he said.
"Our performance was not 100 per cent in this game, but I thought that once they had allowed us to take first innings that was it.
"It's been a while since the school has won a cricket title ... so it feels good to finally pull it off," he explained.
Mona coach Owen Speid, whose team was losing a final for the third time in the last five years, said his team tried hard.
"Having lost first innings we knew it would be difficult to come back. But we tried and I am proud of the boys for that," he said.
Both finalists will, next season, compete in the ISSA/Grace Shield. They will now turn their attention to the semi-finals of that competition, which bowls off this weekend.

[Don1]

Congrats..

Now tell mi ...."A" League is like one second division ar wha?

[Karl]

Good going, sah!

[Willi]

LoL

No clue.

Just know that we and cricket are not best pals and the last time we won sunlight was 1996 when Gilchrist was coach.

We have great cricket facilities though...not least of which is we old filed we sell off named Sabina Park....LoL

[Don1]

mi did ear govament dem fix unnu up fi World Cup... unnu supposed to nice!

[Willi]

Campus ever criss.

In any case Emmet Park is used for non school events now. Almost public domain.

[Muadib]

Chiney man can play Cricket ?

Ah wheh di...!?

[Willi]

LoL

Why not.

In ball we had Byron Lee and Dynamite Lyn, not to mention Bobby Lue and Everton Chin.

[Sir X]

Fastest growing cricket nation in Asia, they aim to be a part of the ICC as soon as poosible .I believe they see the economic spinoff as a must be a part of.

Hong Kong is the gateway to it all ,

China catches cricket bug ahead of Asian Games debut
By Chris Hogg
BBC News, Shanghai

Wang Lei is captain of the China national team
Continue reading the main story
Related stories

Cricket's new boundaries
When China hosted the Beijing Olympics two years ago, its efforts to master sports not traditionally played by Chinese athletes paid off with a haul of medals for the host nation.

On Friday in the city of Guangzhou in southern China, another major sporting event kicked off - the 16th annual Asian Games.

Making its debut at the games is cricket - a sport that used to be played in China many years ago only by foreigners, but which is now enjoying a revival.

At Shanghai's Tongji university some of the country's first generation of cricketers meet to practice every week after class.

In the middle of a football pitch a coach armed with a cricket bat is testing the mettle of his budding fielders, belting balls towards them to see if they can catch.

It is a scene you would see at cricket clubs and universities in countries across the world - but not until recently in China. The game was revived here only about five years ago.

Dedication
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote


I'm just a student but I think in about 10 years we will beat other Asian countries”

Bill He
There is a cheer from his team mates for one of the players, Bill He, as he makes a difficult catch.

The marketing student - tall with broad shoulders - says he likes cricket because of the teamwork involved.

"It's a gentle game," he says. "It's very interesting and challenging, we enjoy it."

But did he not find it difficult to pick up the rules, and master the technique needed to play cricket well?

"I think the important factor is whether you like this game or not. If you like this game you will play well," he says with a grin.

You have to be pretty dedicated to take up cricket here.

The athletes running on the track next to the pitch know that if they show promise China already has a well established system in place to help them achieve excellence.

But for would-be cricketers it is different. They do not have a proper cricket field but have to use the football pitch instead.

There are no nets for batting practice - for that they have to use a volleyball court.

Producing results
Wang Yuan is a young woman facing off against a line of male bowlers at one end of the court.


Young men and women in the university squad train together
She has been playing for two years. They do not seem much of a match for her.

She insists the basic facilities are not that much of a problem.

"Although the training environment's hard, if we train well here and achieve a good result in competition this makes us very happy."

The young men and women in the university squad train together. Zhang Hong Chang is one of the younger players.

"Cricket at the moment is not that popular," he says, as he watches match practice get under way.

"In the beginning, I was just curious about it, but after I joined the club I made the school team. Now I really enjoy the competitiveness and the rules. The more I train the more I like it," he says.

Soon it is time for him to put on the protective pads, and stride out into the middle of the pitch.

There is a lot of enthusiasm on display around the field, but less technique.

Most of the players of course did not pick up a bat until they came to university. They did not grow up watching the sport or playing it.


Most of the university players did not grow up watching or playing the sport
Chinese officials responsible for promoting cricket, like Li Xin, a professor at the university, are optimistic it will take hold here and that in time, it will produce results.

"Although cricket started in China really late, the momentum is building," he says.

"Judging by our players' enthusiasm for the game, we think one day we will be able to play the major cricketing nations as equals."

China's Cricket Association has set itself an ambitious set of targets, including achieving test status - playing test matches against countries like the UK or Australia - by 2020.

Bill He thinks they will not only be playing but winning by then.

"I'm just a student but I think in about 10 years we will beat other Asian countries," he says confidently.

Some observers here say if China chooses to develop a sport, it always gets results.

On the other hand, a team game like cricket needs many years to bed in, attract enough talent among players and coaches, and develop a following.

The enthusiasm here is impressive, but taking it to the next level will not be easy.

[Sir X]

China: Advancing in cricket .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdgBZDj8Bdk

[Farmah]

And a good handful of players (of Chinese descent) have been around West Indies cricket domestically and internationally:

Achong, Puss (TnT)
Chang, Carlton (TnT)
Chang, Herbert (Jam)
Chinsammy, Andy (Guy)
Chinsammy, Matthew (Guy
Chinsammy, Michael (Guy)
*Chong, Ellis (TnT)
Chung, Maurice (Jam)
Foo, Johnathan (Guy)

*The China-Man bowling technique is said to have been named after Ellis Chong who used it when he played for the West Indies.

[Don1]

China: Advancing in cricket .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdgBZDj8Bdk

mine Jawge get pon yuh case...

[Willi]

Didnt a Chang play for Jamaica too in the 1970s?

[Muadib]

Yuh nuh hear wheh school mi did guh ?

[Willi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Chang

1 cap for West indies in 1979. Jamaica player.

I know all about Campion....is we "birth" unno.

In fact I know all about Edmund Campion,,, we have a Campion house at STGC.