Cricket: Cooray signs for Blythe

Inside Edge

by Allan Smith

BLYTHE have signed Nilantha Cooray for the coming season following the departure of Ranil Dhammika to Meakins.

The 30-year-old Sri Lankan has scored 2,191 runs in his 72 first-class appearances, with a highest score of 139, and has captured 142 wickets with his leg-spin bowling.

Last season he played for Slough in the Home Counties Premier League Premier Division, scoring 460 runs and taking 34 wickets.

In 2006, the right-handed batsman helped Darley Dale top the Division Three North table in the Derbyshire Premier League, scoring 568 league runs and taking 54 wickets, before ensuring them a top-half finish in Division Two North in 2007 with 524 league runs and 42 wickets.

Last year he played for the MCC in their two-wicket win over Ireland A, taking 3-77 and 1-62.

A SPECIAL North Staffs and South Cheshire League meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 7 to discuss the newly introduced Managed Migration System, which affects all clubs who have already signed an overseas professional or are looking to do so.

Addressing the meeting, which takes place at Burslem Cricket Club (7.30pm), will be Neil Edwards, of the League Cricket Conference, who will provide the latest information regarding the new scheme.

PREMIER Division side Wood Lane will be captained by Matt Hagan in 2009.

Hagan took over the captaincy part way through last season to steer the Megacre club away from relegation.

Jeff Maynard will be vice captain while Deane Jervis will skipper the second team assisted by Andrew Forster.

Following their recent annual meeting, the club has appointed Gary Norcup as chairman for 2009.

Danny Brierley is the new Schools Liaison Officer and Ken Hancock has rejoined the selection committee as chairman, with Gareth Coates stepping up to senior coach.

Doreen Norcup and Geoff Feltbower have been made Honorary Life Members.

Norcup becomes the first woman to join the elite group, which now has 10 members since it was formed in 1930.

Norcup continues to work tirelessly in the kitchen, organising and preparing match day refreshments and for other events. She also serves as a member of the social committee.

Feltbower is the club's honorary treasurer and has just completed his eighth year in charge of the club finances.

He has also served for more than 20 years on the management committee.

Figures of 2-10 from five overs in a rain-reduced match from Knypersley professional Victor Mpitsang helped the Eagles consolidate their position at the top of the MTN Domestic One-Day table in South Africa.

Despite 1-24 and 20 from Audley's Juan Theron, his Warriors side were defeated by the Lions.

FORMER Meakins professional Wahab Riaz produced match-winning figures of 5-44 to set up a comfortable eight-wicket victory for the Punjab Stallions against the Federal Area Leopards in the final of the RBS Pentangular One-Day Cup Final.

Former Caverswall professional Abdur Rehman had figures of 1-37, while ex-Haslington star Sohail Tanvir finished with 0-26 for the losers.

A 14th first-class century by former Knypersley batsman Saman Jayantha spearheaded Bloomfields rise to the top of the Tier A table in Sri Lanka as his side crushed Badureliya by an innings and 23 runs.

Stone's Tyrone Gamage followed up his first innings figures of 2-11 with 5-43 to help complete the win.

AN innings of 210 from skipper and opener Aakash Chopra enabled Delhi to rack up an impressive 688 all out, but the performance from the former Hem Heath batsman could not prevent Rajasthan playing out time for a draw in their Ranji Trophy Super League fixture.

LONWABO Tsotsobe, who starred for Knypersley in the first half of last season, has followed up his inclusion in the current successful South African Test squad in Australia by being named in their 15-man squad for the forthcoming one-day and 20/20 matches which conclude the Australian tour schedule.

Selection convenor Mike Proctor said: "Tsotsobe has impressed by the manner in which he has settled into the Proteas squad, both on and off the field.

"His combination of swing and bounce makes him a good wicket-taking prospect."