County Cricket Round-Up - 24th November

County Cricket Round-Up - 24th November

Benny Howell wants to move away from The Rose Bowl for 2012.

©Action Images

Somerset CCC have announced a record operating profit of £408,000 for the year ended 30^th September 2011. This represents an increase on the £75,000 profit recorded a year earlier.

The club put the figures - which do not include monies from their successful Champions League campaign - down to a rise in membership and a better utilisation of Taunton’s conferencing and events facilities.

Warwickshire CCC have announced that former wicket-keeper Tony Frost will combine his existing duties as a member of the Edgbaston groundstaff with part-time duties as a batting coach in 2012.

Frost is currently in charge of coaching duties at the club, as the regular duo of Ashley Giles and Dougie Brown are away on a level four coaching course at Loughborough University.

A memorial service will be held at Worcester Cathedral at 1430 on January 27^th 2012 to honour the passing of England and Worcestershire all-rounder Basil D’Oliveira. A similar event is to be organised at the Newlands Test ground in Cape Town, the city of his birth.

His son Damian, whose own son Brett is contracted with Worcestershire for 2012, thanked those who have and tribute and reflected on the irony of the service in South Africa, saying, “All the tributes that have been paid and the condolences we have received have brought it home just how big he was. They are now talking about holding a memorial service at Newlands which is quite ironic because he could never play there. It would be quite fitting that, although he couldn’t play there, they will honour him in that way.”

Surrey CCC have announced their PG Academy intake for the 2011/12 season. Dominic Sibley, of Ashtead CC, is the only new player in the seven-man list. The PG Academy will play matches in the Surrey Championship in the early part of 2012, as well as taking on Academy sides from other counties.

A fifteen player Emerging Players Programme has also been confirmed for the same period. This is the development tier below the PG Academy and consists of players aged from Under-16 to Under-18 level.

A full list of the intake for 2011/12 can be found on the club’s website.

In other news from the club, it has been announced that first-team skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown will follow on from his current stint in Zimbabwe’s domestic Twenty20 tournament with one in New Zealand. He will represent Wellington in the latter half of the HRV Cup.

© Cricket World 2011