INDOOR CRICKET WORLD

News Desk


		South Africa to host the next World Masters and 19&Under Boys and Girls International in 2005.. To much acclaim from all present at the Trophy Presentation dinner last night, it was announced by World Indoor Cricket Federation President Mark Cini that South Africa will host the next staging of the magnificent tournament we have all just had the honour of experiencing. And with Sri Lanka holding next year's World Cup, the frequent flyer points are going to be accumulating at a rapid rate.

		South Africa and Australia share titles It's all over, and the South African Under 19 Girls are the inaugural World Champions. The Australians are the inaugural World Champions in the Under 19 Boys and the Over 30 Women, and the Australian Over 35 Men have successfully defended their title as World Champions. Hosts New Zealand appeared in three of the four Grand Finals, but didn't secure a title. All Results here -- hundreds more photographs and full match reports on their way--Match Reports for all Grand Finals now on site. Follow link to Results above.

		New Zealand v South Africa in tomorrow's Grand Final The New Zealand Under 19 Girls defeated Australia today, setting up a rematch with South Africa in the Grand Final.

		Interest in Masters outshines last year's World Cup Testament to the success of this tournament's format, interest shown in Indoor Cricket World's coverage is exceeding that which we experienced at last year's World Cup. On Wednesday, over 800 individual visitors clocked up just over 5,000 Individual Page Views. Yesterday, nearly 800 individual visitors viewed the massive total of over 5,600 Individual Page Views. Congratulations to all those who've supported this tournament, we know the players, officials, organisers and sponsors over here appreciate it beyond measure.

		Friday April 25 England in upset win over South Africa Keeping their finals hopes alive, England recorded a win over the more-fancied South African Over 35 Men this morning.

		PHOTOGRAPHS Another set of pages of photos added tonight. Go to the Photo Gallery section for links to Day 3's photos.

		Sri Lankan Tour Manager announces retirement as player! Due to some injuries threatened to him by some Sri Lankan players, Hiran de Mel announced this evening he was retiring as a player, and would never again play for Sri Lanka against England (or any other country for that matter). Hiran denied rumours that his team were not unhappy about the sudden end to his long and illustrious international playing career, which lasted for more than two hours.

		Sri Lankan Tour announces new career as player! Due to injuries to some Sri Lankan players, Hiran de Mel announced this evening he was becoming a player, and would play for Sri Lanka against England. See Day-To-Day Summaries for how he and his team fared.

		PHOTOGRAPHS 20 pages of photographs have now been added to the Photo Gallery section, and new photos added throughout site.

		19 & Under Girls sensation. The South African vs Australia games in this division have both been truly sensational, showcasing their sport and age-group to the absolute maximum.

		Photos now published throughout site. The photographs have arrived!! Photos have been added throughout the site, particularly on each game's Results page and the Daily Summary pages. Photos will be changed frequently, so please remember to Refresh or Reload your web-browser each time you visit any page.

		First day's results and match reports available, including daily Points Tables. The first day's competition is over--progressive and final scores were published during the day, as they occured, and Points Tables and some match reports were added after the day's proceedings were completed. See the Results page for more, or the Day-To-Day Summaries for a brief overview of what happened today and each day from now on.

		20th April Tournament officially opened In the Main Hall of the lovely Christchurch Arts Centre, Mark Cini welcomed players, officials and supporters from England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. Special tribute was paid to the World Indoor Cricket Federation Excecutive's role in combining the Over 30 Women and Under-19 Boys and Girls. Mark also spoke of the friendship and camaraderie which exists amongst all those present who have been involved in the previous Masters or World Cups, and we at Indoor Cricket World were rapt to meet up again with many, many friends who have made their way to Christchurch. And the first game is just two and a half hours away . . .

		19th April Indoor Cricket World arrives in Christchurch 8 hours, lots of airline food and not enough sleep, but we arrived safely in Christchurch today. Looking forward to having a look at the centre tomorrow, but in the meantime we're just going to catch up on some sleep . . .

		8th April 2003 Official Umpires announced. World Indoor Cricket Federation President & New Zealand Indoor Cricket Executive Officer, Mark Cini, today announced the official Umpires for the tournament. "It's easy to concentrate on the parade of skilled players we'll be seeing and forget that we'll also be seeing six of the best umpires in the world" he said. "Five of the umpires officiated at last year's World Cup, and the sixth, Rene Robinson from South Africa, has been in great form for the South African Indoor Cricket Association". While the 2002 World Cup was the first major international tournament with women umpires, the World Masters has set a new standard--three out of the six umpires are women. Full story . . .

		31st March 2003 Official draw published. With all teams playing each other twice, things are looking tough for the Over 35 Men--each team will play 8 games before the finals. And just to make it even tougher for them, two sides in the Men's competition won't qualify for the finals . . . . At least the youngsters and Women have it a bit easier . . . less games, and a guarantee to at least make the Semi-Finals. Official draw here

		27th March 2003 South African team lists updated. The South African team lists and touring party members have changed a little since first published here. All the lists have been updated to reflect those changes. See individual South African team pages.

		25th March, 2003 England Over 35 Men's touring party announced

		Mar 17, 2003 SRI LANKA ARE COMING!!!!!! After an intense collaboration between the Ceylon Indoor Cricket Association and the World Indoor Cricket Federation President Mr Mark Cini, and with just 4 weeks to go before the competition begins, it was announced today that Sri Lanka has confirmed their Over 35 Mens side would be competing in Christchurch. "This is fantastic news for the tournament" said Mark Cini today. "Sri Lanka were a sensation at last year's World Cup, and we're ecstatic they're going to be in Christchurch". More. . . .

		Feb 27, 2003 South African teams published.

		February 21, 2003 New Zealand announces its team lists.

		February 4, 2003 It's confirmed--the largest tournament ever Even though Sri Lanka and India have not confirmed their attendance, a minimum of 13 teams will be competing in Christchurch, making it the largest international Indoor Cricket event ever held. Confirmed teams HERE.

		New Zealand shows us how a World Cup should be run Wellington, New Zealand, played host to the 2002 Indoor Cricket World Cup, and set a standard that is going to be hard to follow.

		Christchurch countdown The lovely city of Christchurch, New Zealand will host the World Masters and the inaugural International Under 19 Boys and Girls in April this year.

		Play it again Shel Yes, Indoor Cricket World will be attending the World Masters and International Under 19 Boys and Girls in Christchurch--and yes, we'll be publishing more exclusive photographs throughout the tournament.

		Show us your true colours. . . If the crowds at the World Cup in Wellington are any guide, we can expect outstanding support from the locals in Christchurch.

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