• Tame draw at Katugastota
• Chinese turn on Houghton
• Best cricketers for the past 30 years
• Vijayabahu Motocross - 2000 - Kurunegala
• Rajans held to a draw
• S. Thomas', Nalanda evenly matched
• Cricket champs still not declared. Why?
• Hefty Bakelmun takes President's Trophy
• Little change in Asian Football rankings

Inter-School cricket

Tame draw at Katugastota

Five half centuries featured the Elephant Lemonade Cup Inter-School cricket tournament match between St. Anthony’s College and Kingswood which ended in a tame draw at Katugastota yesterday.

Antonian skipper Nafeez Nizam top scored with a fluent 87 and was unlucky to miss his maiden ‘ton’. Others who bolstered the Antonian score of 279 for 8 were Lahiru Fonseka (57) and C. Ekanayake (50 n.o).

For the Kingswoodians Mohammed Rameez ( 42 and 54 not out) and Millinda Wattegedera (55) batted well.

St. Anthony’s College - 275 for 8 dec. (L. Fonseka 57, N. Nizam 87, C. Ekanayake 50 n.o; R. Mowzoon 2 for 33, H. Dissanayake 2 for 63) and 120 for 5 dec (N. Nizam 39, P. Ranawaka 36; R. Dissanayake 3 for 17).

Kingswood College -9 (M. Wattegedera 55, M. Rameez 42, T. Madanayake 33, M. Mallawarachchi 20, R. Mowzoon 12 n.o; P. Ranawake 3 for 37, N. Nizam 3 for 65, S. Pinnaduwa 2 for 36) and 95 for 3 at close (M. Rameez 54 n.o)

- U. J. J.

St. Mary’s held

S. Mary’s College Kegalle did well to hold Vidyartha College Kandy to a draw in their Elephant Lemonade Cup schools cricket tournament match at the Kegalle Esplanade yesterday.

R. Samaratunga (72 n.o) and M. Sarawdin (56) batted well for the Marians while Sujith Perera top scored with a hard hit 50 for Vidyartha.

St. Mary’s College Kegalle - 275 in 83.1 overs (M. Sarawdin 56, T. Paranawitharne 36, R. Samaratunga 72 n.o, G. Nalaka 26; D. Wanasinghe 4 for 58, R. U. K. Chandrasiri 3 for 69) and 40 for 1 in 12 overs (A. Bandara 21 n.o, T. Paranavitharne 16 n.o)

Vidyartha College - 228 in 104.3 overs (. T. Liyanage 32, S. M. Perera 19, Sujith Perera 50, K. Kulasekera 23; F.S. Daminda 2 for 35, S. Senanayake 2 for 60, M. Hettiarachchi 2 for 31, M. Jayawardena 3 for 25) - U.J.J.

Chinese turn on Houghton

Once again China have failed to reach the finals of a major tournament and once again the inquest into how the world’s most populous nation could miss out on the Olympic Games has begun.

China’s chances of qualifying for their first Olympic Games since 1988 were always going to be slim given the strength of the Korean side they were drawn to face when the pair were pulled out together at the draw in Los Angeles in July.

English coach Bob Houghton has borne the brunt of the nation’s anger with calls from within the football association and the media calling for the former Malmo coach’s head. But while the press and authorities have been targeting Houghton, players and fellow coaches have raced to the coach’s defence.

“There’s been a big reaction from the main players,” said Houghton., who took over as head coach of the Chinese side at the start of 1998. “Hao Haidong said he would refuse to play for the national team ever again (if I was sacked). They have been outstanding to a man and I think the CFA has been shocked. The coaches I have been working have supported me fully.”

The reaction saw the Chinese Football Association stall on a decision to fire Houghton, a move the federation realises would be hugely unpopular among a group of players Houghton has revitalised after their failure to qualify for the World Cup finals two years ago.

Then national coach Qi Wusheng was sacked and the national association issued a public apology to the people after Saudi Arabia and Iran qualified for France ahead of China.

“The Chinese Football Association had decided that they would make a change but I think there’s been such as strong reaction from coaches and players that they have decided to take two or three weeks to think about it,” said Houghton.

“The Chinese Football Association had decided that they would make a change but I think there’s been such as strong reaction from coaches and players that they have decided to take two or three weeks to think about it” said Houghton.

“The sports minister thinks that we should have qualified so he wants to sack the coach. But 30 players from the national team and Olympic teams have come out in support of me. Who knows what will happen? When we failed to qualify everyone said ‘Sack the coach’. Now it’s all changed.

“You don’t want player power but the fact is that in this case it’s genuine. I think the players feel that we were working hard and getting somewhere and they don’t want to see that going to waste.

“All in all we were a little unlucky but instead of people looking at what happened they look at the results and say ‘Sack the coach.” That was for the first week but the whole thing has now swung the other way. The players are saying that it’s nonsense what’s going on and I think it’s caught the CFA off guard.

“If we just keep going (failing to qualify for Sydney) won’t have done us too much damage.

We won’t have qualified for the Olympics but we are further down the line with the senior team. One or two of the Olympic team have developed and are good enough to come into the senior team. We have the Asian Cup inside the first nine months and that’ll be good preparation for the World Cup qualifiers.”

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