Rikki Clarke hit a run-a-ball century as Warwickshire moved to the top of Division One by taking maximum bonus points in their draw with Sussex.
With rain ruining two days of play and resuming on 175-3, Clarke (110 not out) and Jim Troughton (81) helped the hosts to reach 400-8 before declaring.
Off-spinner Jeetan Patel then took 5-77 as Sussex were all out for 191.
Having taken 11 points from the match, Warwickshire are now one above Nottinghamshire with a game in hand.
Warwickshire's run scoring had been stalled by Monty Panesar, with the spinner claiming 4-95, before Clarke helped them on their way to five batting points.
Having put on 96 from 61 balls in an eighth-wicket partnership with Keith Barker, he followed up an impressive spell at the crease by claiming three Sussex wickets for just 19 runs, including England wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sussex versus Kent at Arundel Castle match update - littlehamptongazette.co.uk
As of midday today (Sunday), the outfield at Arundel Castle was very wet from the rain over the previous 72 hours, but it is draining.
In addition, many of the walkways around the ground and some of the car parking areas are, and will remain wet, and prone to becoming a bit muddy as they become more and more used on the day. Certain parts of the spectator areas may not be accessible, so supporters are asked to adhere to any closure signs, and the club recommend anyone going to the game wears suitable footwear for the conditions.
The forecast for Monday indicates a risk of further rain during the course of the day, so supporters are being asked to keep an eye on the website or ring the normal phone line at The PROBIZ County Ground (0844 264 0202) for hourly updates starting from 9:30am tomorrow.
Also, the Olympic Torch Relay passes through Arundel at around 3:30pm and the town centre will have road closures from 2pm for a couple of hours at least. Anyone attending the game should leave plenty of time for their journey, especially if coming from the West. To assist arriving spectators in this regard, car parks will be open from 11am, with gates opening at 11:45am.
Source: www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk
Warwickshire top Championship with point-scoring draw against Sussex - The Guardian
Rikki Clarke scored a run-a-ball century as Warwickshire moved to the top of the County Championship by taking maximum bonus points from their rain-affected draw with Sussex at Edgbaston.
Clarke's unbeaten 110, coupled with a season's-best 81 from a resurgent Jim Troughton, took the title contenders to a declaration at 400 for eight.
Sussex then collapsed to 191 all out in less than half a day, with the New Zealand off-spinner Jeetan Patel taking five for 77. Six batsmen got into the 20s but no one fared better than Luke Wright's 36. Clarke was again at the forefront for Warwickshire with three for 19, while Patel preyed on Sussex's vulnerability in an unchanged spell of 18.1 overs, which included the wicket of Matt Prior when the England wicketkeeper clipped to mid-on.
All this added up to a near-perfect day for the barnstorming home side.
Five points for batting, three for bowling and three for a draw put themone point ahead of the overnight leaders Nottinghamshire with a game in hand.For Sussex it was a no-win situation, although they did retrieve a couple of bowling points to keep their distance from the relegation strugglers.
Warwickshire's batsmen could not have done more in making up for lost time after two full days had fallen to the weather.
Resuming at 175 for three, they added 225 in a five-runs-an-over gallop peaking with an eighth-wicket partnership of 96 in 61 balls by Clarke and Keith Barker.
The morning session held no hint of the fireworks to come as Troughton quietly went about the task of rebuilding form and confidence after a difficult season.
Having needed 10 innings to muster 50 championship runs, the Warwickshire captain got his next 50 in one go, reaching a welcome milestone with a boundary off Jimmy Anyon in the third over of the day.
Monty Panesar (four for 95) managed to interrupt Warwickshire's progress with wickets in successive balls - Darren Maddy, lbw for 21, and Tim Ambrose taken at first slip.
Warwickshire, however, are not easily knocked off course. Clarke coming in at number seven is a formidable proposition and again he saw his side through to their objective in another destructive innings.
Although Troughton was caught at slip, slashing at ball from Anyon, Clarke ploughed on, first with Chris Woakes (12) and then with Barker's 34 from 31 balls until he was well caught by Steve Magoffin at long leg.
Clarke should have gone on 71 when dropped by substitute Michael Rippon at long on off Chris Nash but the all-rounder went on to plunder 15 fours and two sixes.
It was then down to Patel to raise 400 with four balls to spare before the cut-off for bonus points.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Warwickshire go top - SkySports
Rikki Clarke scored a run-a-ball century as Warwickshire charged to the top of the Championship table by taking maximum bonus points from their rain-ravaged draw with Sussex at Edgbaston.
Clarke's unbeaten 110, coupled with a season's best 81 from a resurgent Jim Troughton, took the title contenders to a declaration at 400-8.
Yet even they must have been mildly surprised by the way Sussex collapsed for 191 in less than half a day with New Zealand off-spinner Jeetan Patel taking 5-77.
Six batsmen got into the 20s but no one did better than Luke Wright's 36 before he sliced Patel to deep point.
Clarke was again at the forefront for Warwickshire with three for 19 and Patel preyed on Sussex's vulnerability in an unchanged spell of 18.1 overs, which included the wicket of Matt Prior when the England wicketkeeper clipped to mid-on.
All this added up to a near-perfect day for the barnstorming home side. Five points for batting, three for bowling and three for a draw put them one ahead of overnight leaders Nottinghamshire with a game in hand.
Day Three
Day three of the match between Warwickshire and Sussex was abandoned without a ball being bowled at Edgbaston's woes continued.
Umpires Ian Gould and Steve Gale arrived at the ground to find surface water was still standing at the Pavilion End after further overnight rain.
A midday inspection was sufficient to make this the ninth full day lost out of the last 15 scheduled for cricket at the Birmingham Test venue.
The match has been at a standstill since Thursday, when the home side reached 175-3 after winning the toss on a rain-interrupted day.
Day Two
Rain washed out the second day of the County Championship match between Warwickshire and Sussex at Edgbaston.
A downpour halted play at tea on the first day when Warwickshire had reached 175-3 and it continued throughout the night and into the morning.
More than three-and-a-half inches of rain had fallen on the ground in the previous week, which followed an inch-and-a-half in an hour during a thunderstorm two weeks ago.
A further three-quarters of an inch fell overnight, which topped up the water levels on an already saturated outfield and left puddles across the ground.
The players took an early lunch but with no prospect of the ground drying out, umpires Ian Gould and Steve Gale decided to abandon play for the day after a 1pm inspection.
It was the eighth complete washout in 14 days of cricket at Edgbaston in the last five weeks, and the second in three days after the Clydesdale Bank 40 match between the same counties was abandoned in bright sunshine on Wednesday after a day of heavy showers.
Surprisingly though, in such a wet summer, it was the first day of County Championship cricket lost to the weather in Birmingham this season.
Day One
Ian Bell warmed up for England's series against South Africa with a half-century on the opening day of Warwickshire's match with Sussex at Edgbaston.
Right-hander Bell, who was named player of the series in the recent one-day series with Australia, had opted to go back and play for his county ahead of the opening Test against the Proteas next week.
His decision paid off as he made a confident 57 from 86 deliveries before pulling Sussex seamer Steve Magoffin straight to mid-wicket.
Varun Chopra (26) and William Porterfield (43) had shared an opening stand of 66 for the Bears before both fell to Monty Panesar, the left-arm spinner getting both well-set batsmen leg before.
Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton added 80 for the third wicket as he topped 20 for the first time in the LV= County Championship this season.
He was unbeaten on 42 when rain arrived during the tea interval and halted play early, Darren Maddy at the other end on five not out.
Source: www.skysports.com
Women will get right to ask for new boyfriends' police files under controversial Claire's Law initiative - Daily Mail
By Jonathan Petre and Brendan Carlin
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Women will from tomorrow have the right to ask police whether a new boyfriend has a history of domestic violence.
Under a controversial initiative dubbed ‘Clare’s Law’, police and other agencies will be able to carry out checks and warn women if they are at risk.
Home Secretary Theresa May will announce she is launching trials in selected areas before rolling it out nationally.
The scheme, first disclosed in The Mail on Sunday a year ago, follows fears that internet dating has left many women in the dark about their partners’ backgrounds.
History of violence: Clare, left, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton after she dumped him. She had no idea of his violent past
Clare’s Law is named after Clare Wood, who was killed by a man she met on Facebook. George Appleton strangled Ms Wood, 36, in Manchester in 2009 and set her body on fire before he hanged himself.
Ms Wood’s family later discovered that Appleton had convictions for violence against women, including the knifepoint kidnapping of one of his ex-girlfriends. Ms Wood’s father Michael Brown has been championing the Clare’s Law campaign.
Mrs May said: ‘Domestic violence is a dreadful crime which sees two women a week die at the hands of their partners, and millions more suffer years of abuse in their own homes. That is why we are constantly looking at new ways of protecting victims.’
But critics, including domestic violence charity Refuge, say the initiative would waste police resources. Others say it could result in malicious claims being made against innocent people.
Under the scheme, both women and men will be able to ask police whether a new or existing partner with whom they have an ‘intimate’ relationship has a violent past.
Applications can also be made by friends, relatives or neighbours who have reasonable concerns about an acquaintance’s partner.
Police sources said people who made malicious claims would be weeded out during detailed telephone and face-to-face interviews.
Long campaign: Clare's father Michael Brown (second left) presents a petition in support of Clare's Law with his partner Elizabeth Betts, Hazel Blears MP, Michelle Livesey and Claire's brother Adam Brown-Wilkinson
If police decide that a person may be at risk, they will meet other agencies to discuss how to disclose the information and ensure that person is safe.
Officers could also take the initiative to warn someone that he or she is at risk if they are given information from a third party such as a doctor.
Sources stress that information will be released only after officers are fully satisfied that the concerns are genuine.
In 2010, 94 women and 21 men were murdered by a partner, ex-partner or lover.
The first trials will be launched tomorrow in Wiltshire and Gwent, followed by those in Manchester and Nottingham in September.
Frontline staff in police forces where the trials are taking place have been given basic training, while specialist officers have undergone more in-depth sessions.
Conservative MP Robert Buckland, who initially had misgivings that the system would be abused by people fishing for confidential details, said he was now satisfied that it included safeguards to control the disclosure of information.
But Mr Buckland also called for the scheme to be assessed properly before it was launched nationally.
Gwent Chief Constable Carmel Napier, who is responsible for domestic violence issues for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: ‘The scheme is intended to empower people to make informed decisions to protect themselves and their children when getting involved with a new partner.’
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Bopara back for England - SkySports
Bopara has not played for the Test side since last August against India after a thigh injury scuppered his return at the start of the summer following Eoin Morgan's loss of form.
But the selectors have kept faith in the 27-year-old, who regains his place in the squad ahead of Yorkshire youngster Jonny Bairstow, who did not do enough in two Tests against West Indies to justify his retention.
"Ravi Bopara has worked hard to regain his place in the Test squad, following some injury concerns earlier in the season, and is the only player included who is yet to play a Test match this summer," said national selector Geoff Miller.
"We have played some very good cricket over the last couple of months in all formats to win series against the West Indies and Australia - and after a month of limited-overs cricket, preparations are now under way for what is sure to be a very competitive Test series against South Africa.
"We know we will need to play excellent cricket to win this three-match series, and the squad will be determined to start with a strong performance this week during the first Investec Test and set the tone for the rest of the series."
England have kept their options open among the bowlers, by including Steven Finn and Graham Onions - both involved in the most recent Test, a rain-ravaged draw at Edgbaston last month for which James Anderson and Stuart Broad were rested.
With those two first-choice fast bowlers back, the only decision remaining for coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss - given England's long-held policy of a four-man attack - is to pick between Finn, Onions and Tim Bresnan to complete the team.
Concerns over the fitness of Bresnan and off-spinner Graeme Swann, both nursing sore bowling elbows and therefore missing the final stages of England's NatWest Series win over Australia, appear to have proved unfounded.
Squad: AJ Strauss (Middlesex, captain), JM Anderson (Lancashire), IR Bell (Warwickshire), RS Bopara (Essex), TT Bresnan (Yorkshire), SCJ Broad (Nottinghamshire), AN Cook (Essex) ST Finn (Middlesex), G Onions (Durham), KP Pietersen (Surrey), MJ Prior (Sussex, wicketkeeper), GP Swann (Nottinghamshire), IJL Trott (Warwickshire)
Source: www1.skysports.com
Getting carried away? It’s the only way for Lauren - The Sun
The Only Way Is Essex star — wearing sky-high platform stilettos — avoided getting her heels dirty as the burly man came to her rescue.
But she had to cover her modesty with the help of her large clutch bag.
Despite being carried the star obviously had an exhausting day as she tweeted today: “Going stay in my bed all day!! #chilledSunday.”
Later she posted a photo of the occasion saying: “@LaurenGoodger being carried around by a member of security at the Duke of Essex Polo, yesterday!”
Lauren, 25, tottered along at the Duke of Essex Polo event in Epping with TOWIE co-star Georgina Dorsett.
Tom Cleverley’s lover looked striking in a black mini dress with net skirt, while Lauren opted for a dotty peplum-style frock.
Nancy Dell’Olio wasn’t so lucky in getting a helping hand over the slippery pathways as she nearly came a cropper in her knee-high suede boots.
But the nimble former Strictly Come Dancing star, in snakeskin tight trousers and matching bag, managed to keep her footing.
And Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace turned heads in a clingy turquoise frock.
But the day wasn’t all fun as former Atomic Kitten star Liz McClarnon appeared to be having a blazing row with her partner.
And Elen Rives looked far from her glamorous self in a ruched peach dress which did little to flatter her figure.
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
Judging by the time it took my CRB check to come through for my new post at work, any relationship will be over by the time the information is obtained.
- Odette , S Yorks, 15/7/2012 19:14
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