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ScorecardThe bad weather continued to blight New Zealand’s preparations for the first Test at Worcestershire today, where only 27 overs were possible due to rain.In that time, however, New Zealand were also frustrated by Worcestershire’s No. 10, Nadeem Malik, who belted 39 not out off only 36 balls for the best first-class score of his career as his side declared on 270 for 9.Malik, 21, gave his side a valuable contribution, as his cameo innings followed a collapse, with Worcestershire tumbling from their overnight score of 163 for 3 to 226 for 9.Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey were in the wickets for New Zealand, with Tuffey taking the big scalp of Ben Smith, caught by Stephen Fleming for 92. Bond removed Kadeer Ali and Andrew Hall in quick succession before Tuffey took centre stage. After he got rid of Smith, he removed David Pipe for a duck.Steve Rhodes was dismissed by Chris Martin, and Matt Mason was trapped lbw to Vettori. But Malik added 44 with Mark Harrity for the last wicket.

ONE, TWO, three . . . 18. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.Unstoppable Barbados, the most decorated team in the history of regional first-class cricket, added yet another title to their vast collection yesterday by establishing a record of sorts on the way to winning the 2003 Carib Beer Cup.In moving to an unassailable 60 points with a match still remaining, Courtney Browne’s red-hot men competed a fourth victory in six matches with a day to spare by demolishing the Leeward Islands by seven wickets, 22 minutes before lunch at Kensington Oval.It was their 18th regional first-class championship since 1966, their fifth in the last nine seasons, and continued a trend of winning the title in every other season since 1995.Champion Barbados teams under Sir Garfield Sobers, David Holford, Vanburn Holder, Albert Padmore, Carlisle Best, Joel Garner and Desmond Haynes in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s would have created records of their own, but none would have won as many as four matches well inside the distance.So many wins with loads of time in reserve emphasised that this Barbados team, with a core of experienced players and a promising bunch of young talent, was clearly in a class of its own, especially with the absence of the region’s leading players on West Indies duties at the World Cup."Barbados is a superior team when the other players are away playing for West Indies," said skipper Browne."Our experience over the other teams was great. Our commitment was something that we tried to drill in the guys every day. In the end, that pulled us through."Barbados opened the season by defeating the Windward Islands in three days and followed up with just as convincing wins against India "A" and Trinidad ad Tobago before taking care of the Leewards yesterday.Had rain not affected matches against Jamaica and Guyana, it might have very well been a 100 per cent winning record."Team work did it for us. We were well prepared. We played very well this year," Browne said."You have the likes of Philo [Wallace], Sherwin [Campbell], Floyd [Reifer], [Ian] Bradshaw and myself – we were around for a while. The fact that we have been playing long – we would always perform at this level because we know how and what to do."Barbados, the reigning Red Stripe Bowl regional champions, can still look forward to more.After next weekend’s final Cup match against West Indies "B" at Kensington, they have the chance to complete a unique double by adding the International Challenge to the Cup.The semifinalists of the International Challenge are determined by the top four places in the Cup, and Barbados are guaranteed of hosting one semifinal and also the final if they advance."The season is not over. We have another three games left – West Indies `B’, semifinals and final. That is our goal. That is what we are focusing on," Browne said.

Somerset made the most of Kent stage fright to canter through to next month’s Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy semi-finals with a 52-run quarter-final win in steamy Canterbury.Kent followed their slipshod performance in the field with a naive batting display that saw them dismissed for 211 as they chased Somerset’s 50-over total of 263 for eight.Only Rob Key’s stoic 106-ball innings of 58 and David Fulton with 31 put in the required performance with the bat as Somerset’s military-medium seamer Keith Parsons bagged three for 38 and Andrew Caddick two for 35.Once Caddick bowled out his 10 overs the hosts attempted to paper over the cracks with some lusty late hitting from Kent skipper Matthew Fleming and Min Patel (27 not out), but it was all too little too late and failed to make up for a generally nervous and slapdash performance.The final nail in Kent’s coffin came five overs from the end when Fleming, having scored 40 from 41 balls, lost his leg stump in trying to paddle a full-length ball from Richard Johnson into the gaps in the leg-side field.The end for Kent followed within five balls with a missed slog by Martin Saggers and the run-out of last man Ben Trott as he attempted a ridiculous single to see Somerset through to a home semi-final tie with Warwickshire.Kent’s quarter-final nerves were clear for supporters and the television cameras to see as they put in their worst fielding display of the summer.The hosts dropped vital catches, notably Marcus Trescothick when on eight, missed a run-out and then two stumpings which, coupled with numerous misfields and over-throws, helped boost the Somerset total beyond a par-for-the-course total.Bowling in overcast conditions after Somerset elected to bat, Kent were given a good start through Saggers who sent back Peter Bowler and visiting skipper Jamie Cox to perfectly pitched out-swingers.Trescothick scratched around for eight runs from 27 balls before Trott found his outside edge only to see Patel down a waist-high chance at second slip.After the let-off Trescothick clubbed three of the next four balls to the boundary on his way to 43 from 54 balls, before England colleague Mark Ealham squeezed one through the left-hander’s gate to make it 84 for three.With Kent appearing edgy, Somerset took full toll of numerous fielding slips to up their run rate through man-of-the-match Michael Burns (71) and all-rounder Ian Blackwell, who hit 50 from 49-balls, to post a respectable 50-over total.Saggers and Ealham each claimed two wickets apiece, as did Andrew Symonds who sent back Blackwell and Johnson in the penultimate over of the innings.

Mike Smethurst and Peter Martin hit back for Lancashire after Kent’s MartinSaggers had plunged them into trouble as bowlers dominated the first day atOld Trafford.Lancashire looked set for a big score on a good pitch after John Crawley won the toss, chose to bat and steered them to 94 for one.But they then slumped to 236 all out with Saggers claiming four for 54 and Min Patel picking up three wickets, although many of the Lancashire batsmen had only themselves to blame.They were rescued, not for the first time this season, by their bowlers. Martin, playing his first Championship match since breaking his thumb onMay 31, had Rob Key lbw and David Fulton caught at second slip by AndyFlintoff.And Smethurst trapped Rahul Dravid lbw and had Ed Smith caught behind withconsecutive balls to leave Kent on 14 for four before Matthew Walker deniedhim a hat-trick and linked up with Alan Wells to steer Kent to 41 for fourat the close.Wells was leading Kent with Matthew Fleming ruled out by a calf injury,leaving them missing no fewer than eight seam bowlers. They looked set for a long hard day, especially when Flintoff was racing to 29 with five powerful boundaries including a straight six off Patel.But he was the first of Saggers’ four victims and with Sourav Ganguly goingfor a duck, only Crawley and Neil Fairbrother of the recognised Lancashirebatsmen threatened to make a half century.Crawley was a bat-pad victim for Patel in the last over before lunch for apatient 42, and Fairbrother, who was dropped on one, batted for most of theafternoon session until edging Saggers to first slip, where Fulton took thelast of his three catches.

Premier League Manchester City maintained their 100% start to the season with a comfortable 5-1 win over Norwich at the Etihad Stadium.

Roberto Mancini’s side strolled to all three points against the Canaries to extend their lead at the top to seven points over rivals United who take on Aston Villa in Saturday’s evening kick off. Sergio Aguero grabbed the opener just after the half hour in what proved to be a frustrating first half for the hosts as Paul Lamberts plucky side managed to contain and foil a world class attack that struggled to get going during the first half. After the restart it was a different story with Yaya Toure curling in with further goals coming from Samir Nasri, Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson with Steve Morison grabbing a consolation for the visitors. Mancini’s men were searching for a seventh consecutive win at the Etihad Stadium but found the opening forty five minutes tough as Norwich put eleven men behind the ball in an effort to quell the threat of City’s multi-million pound forward line.

It worked so well until the 32nd minute for the home side to break the deadlock with Aguero showing great balance and close control to twist and turn away from a sea of Norwich bodies before poking the ball past John Ruddy for his 13th of the season. That weight off City’s shoulders saw them come out for the second half intent on putting Norwich to the sword with Nasri doubling their lead six minutes after the restart in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. The Frenchman saw his seemingly harmless 35-yard-free kick take a wicked bounce in front of Ruddy and skid into the bottom corner of the net to dampen any Norwich hopes of a surprise comeback. It was open season now for the home side and Toure ensured they would score three at home for the sixth time this season curling home from just inside the area.

However the Canaries would go down fighting and snatched themselves a consolation goal via the head of Morison after the Welsh forward beat Gael Clichy to Marc Tierney’s cross to send the ball past Joe Hart. City who would have the final say on proceedings though with substitutes Balotelli and Johnson getting their names on the scoresheet. Firstly, the broody Italian nonchalantly made it 4-1 with two minutes to go knocking the ball in with with his shoulder on the goal line after his initial effort had been saved by Ruddy. Johnson then put the gloss on City’s 12th win of the season finishing superbly from the 15-yards after captain Vincent Kompany’s long pass found him in acres of space which afforded him time to shape himself and roll the ball into the net.

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With the “golden generation” coming to the end of their playing careers there have been a number of emerging youngsters in the Premier League over the last two seasons. This season has the seen the likes of Gareth Bale and Jack Wilshere grab headlines with their outstanding performances for Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal respectively, and there is no doubt that they will be two key players to watch next season and for many years to come.

But there are also a number of other emerging talents in the next generation of footballers who we will start to see making headlines. Whilst the internet has seen an increase in hype around players with potential compared to recent decades, the following list of top ten players for the future are names that could become first-team regulars for their clubs in the Premier League.

Although there will be some omissions from the following list, these are definitely ten players at the very least to keep an eye out for towards the end of the current season when managers decide to give youngsters a run out, or during the pre-season in the summer. The 2011-2012 year could be the season for this generation of highly skilled players, so let’s get the ball rolling and have a look at these wonder kids…

Click on Ignasi Miquel below to see the Top TEN

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