Cricket: Tolley rewarded with first hat-trick

Round-up

Chris Tolley, the Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer, took the first hat- trick of his career at Grace Road yesterday.

Tolley's first victim was Darren Maddy after the Leicestershire batsman had reached his third Championship century of the season. Then, as in his hundreds against Middlesex and Surrey, he was out for 103, being trapped lbw this time to the second ball of Tolley's 18th over.

That left Leicestershire 201 for 4 and with his next two deliveries Tolley removed Ben Smith, caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Wayne Noon, and Paul Nixon, brilliantly snapped up at first slip by Nathan Astle.

In Nottinghamshire's last match against Warwickshire Paul Franks also took a hat-trick.

Warwickshire have offered Phil Neale a new two-year contract to continue as director of coaching at Egbaston. The 43-year-old former Worcestershire captain has held the post for three years since moving from Northamptonshire to succeed Bob Woolmer.

In his first season, Warwickshire retained the County Championship and won the NatWest Trophy.

Neale has also played a prominent part in the England set-up on tours with the A and Under-19 teams and next January he will be taking the side to the World Youth Cup in South Africa.

Hampshire members are attempting to force the county's committee into an extraordinary general meeting to express their dissatisfaction at what they see as another disastrous season for the club.

Concern over the captaincy of John Stephenson and a lack of young talent coming through from Hampshire's Second XI have forced members to call upon the club to make changes.

George Pollock, from Bournemouth, has collected 200 signatures on a petition - the minimum amount needed to enforce an EGM.

Hampshire's chief executive, Tony Baker, and the club chairman, Brian Ford, will meet members at the County Ground, Southampton, before play starts on the final day of the Championship match with Lancashire.

Hampshire have won only two Championship matches, three in the Sunday League and one in the Benson and Hedges Cup zonal stage against British Universities.

Hampshire are out of the NatWest Trophy and, following the defeat against Glamorgan, speculation began that Stephenson was considering passing the captaincy to Robin Smith.

"We are a poor team, and it's about time the problem was addressed," Pollock said. "I had no trouble at all getting the required amount of signatures for my petition. Members are furious at the way the club has fallen away in the last few years, and we want something done."

Northamptonshire have released their seam bowler John Hughes and Mark Steele, the 20-year-old son of former Northamptonshire, Derbyshire and England batsman David Steele. "This could be the start of a more serious pruning operation," the club's chief executive, Steve Coverdale, said.