The total cost of relocating is pounds 16m, with over pounds 7m having already been received in a National Lottery grant.
Chief executive, Tony Baker, said: “The ground at Northlands Road has been an important part of Hampshire’s history and when the time comes we will be sad to go.”Northlands Road will be developed into high quality housing after Hampshire have moved on by 2000.. The County Ground has been Hampshire’s home since 1885 and they will use the money to help finance the building of their new ground at West End on the northern outskirts of the city. Cambridgeshire’s Nigel Gadsby has also stood down, handing the reins to Ajaz Akhtar.Durham have added Simon Brown to their squad for the first time this season for today’s Benson and Hedges Cup tie against Yorkshire at Headingley. He has been ruled out by a knee injury but has played in the three-day second XI match against Gloucestershire which ended yesterday.. HAMPSHIRE have sold their County Ground headquarters in Southampton to the building firm Berkeley Homes for pounds 5m. It has absorbed the 18 first-class Board XIs, minus Glamorgan but plus Huntingdonshire, to become a 38-county competition and has been split into eight regional qualifying groups. The first group games, now 60 overs apiece, are in the South West tomorrow when Devon play Dorset at Budleigh Salterton and Cornwall meet Somerset at Taunton.
In the championship, played over two days and still the exclusive domain of the 20 Minor Counties, each team will play three of their nine matches under grade rules.
This is a two-year experiment in which three games will be one-innings contests of 120 overs each, with a provision for outright wins in the event of the first innings finishing early. But the playing conditions include a points scoring system that deducts points for conceding runs and losing wickets in the second innings.There are four new Minor Counties captains in 1998. Cambridge blue Roger Clitheroe has replaced Philip North at Wales, ex-Middlesex batsman Jason Harrison is Tim Scriven’s successor at Buckinghamshire and Bryan Jones has taken over from Ian Payne at Shropshire. MINOR COUNTIES cricket unveils the launch of an expanded MCC Trophy this weekend. The one-day competition that boasts the carrot of a Lord’s final has undergone a radical facelift in the wake of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s “Raising the Standard” initiative.
He seemed to strike it sweetly enough, but the ball drifted wide and Leeds were back on top, pending Wigan’s game at Sheffield this afternoon.London Broncos: Mardon; Fatnowna, Toshack, Ryan, Offiah; Tollett, Air; Carroll, Matterson, Young, Higgins, Retchless, Gill. Substitutes used: Beazley, Dunford, Salter.Leeds: Harris; Sterling, Blackmore, Godden, Cummins; Kemp, Sheridan; Masella, Lawford, Fleary, Morley, Farrell, Glanville. Substitutes used:Hay, Powell, St Hilaire, Mathiou.Referee: J Connolly (Wigan).. A double penalty awarded against Leeds gave Matterson a shot at goal from 45 yards out. London Broncos 13 Leeds 14
LEEDS preserved one of only two perfect records in Super League last night, two tries in three minutes deep in the second half rescuing them after the Broncos had seemed to have their measure.
London led 13-4 after 63 minutes, but defensive lapses undid all the good work that had gone before. First Iestyn Harris, significantly moved to scrum-half in a reorganisation when both sides had a man sent off, set up a try for Brad Godden.Harris missed the conversion but Leeds were soon back for more, Richie Blackmore, breaking through the first line of defence and then holding off Darren Higgins’ tackle to go in for a try which Harris improved to put Leeds ahead for the first time.They were behind after two two minutes.
Ferocious driving from the London forwards created a position from which Glen Air flighted a well-judged kick for Chris Ryan to jump above Paul Sterling, Terry Matterson adding the goal.A goal apiece was the only other scoring of the half, although both sides could have had a try. London were denied a penalty try when Air was pulled back and Leeds’ Ryan Sheridan lost the ball over the line.The visitors did draw with Harris’ second penalty, but London scored their second try five minutes into the second half as Martin Offiah wrestled his way over after Robbie Beazley had made the initial break.Rival back-row forwards Peter Gill and Marc Glanville were dismissed after hostilities broke out at a play-the-ball, but Matterson somehow dug out a kick to put over a drop goal just after the midway stage in the half.Even after Leeds’ double strike, the Broncos had a chance to win it. In the first round he hit some really crooked ones.”A 25-foot eagle putt on the long 13th gave last year’s Ryder Cup captain a chance of qualifying, but he was bunkered at the short 15th and bogeyed, then sent a pitch from just short of the 18th green into a guarding bunker.Luna, who shared the first day pace with Martin, added a 70 to his 67 in the windier conditions, but Jimenez, right-hand man to Ballesteros against the Americans last September, claimed seven birdies to go joint top. The last of them came with a superb two-iron to nine feet on the 437-yard ninth.Martin chipped in at the last for a 72 alongside Rivero, whose 70 contained two bogey sixes, but also four birdies.. Santiago Luna and Miguel Angel Jimenez lead on seven under, with their compatriots Jose Rivero and Miguel Angel Martin two strokes behind.The pre-tournament favourite, Bernhard Langer, who is still troubled by a neck strain, is eight back on one over, while Andrew McKenna and John Hawksworth, joint third overnight, both collapsed to 78s and fell nine adrift.Langer partnered Ballesteros and said: “It’s hard work for him. Seve Ballesteros missed the cut here yesterday in the tournament that his own company promotes. Needing a birdie at the final hole to stay in the Turespana Masters-Balearic Open at Santa Ponsa, Ballesteros had a double-bogey six for a 76 and seven over par total of 151.
“Just a bad day – one of those that happens,” said the 41-year-old, who has not won a tournament for three yearsIt still lookslikely that a Spanish will win the tournamnet on Sunday.
