SPORT llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ntnews.com.au Star players to miss Big Bash Hilditch, Nielsen may be cut Doherty ‘still weeks away’ AUSTRALIA’s brassy new Big Bash competition has CONTROVERSIAL Australian chairman of selectors TASMANIAN spinner Xavier Doherty is at least a ‘‘few hit an instant hurdle with the revelation Australia’s Andrew Hilditch and under-fire coach Tim Nielsen weeks’’ away from playing for the state, coach Tim best players will take little or no part in it. A Cricket may be pushed off the plank after their bosses Coyle says. The top-of-the-table Tigers will be Australia board meeting confirmed yesterday city- pointedly refused to guarantee their jobs last night. without Doherty for their crucial one-day cup clash based teams from Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and A sweeping performance review started yesterday, with Victoria at Bellerive Oval today, as he continues Hobart, plus two each in Sydney and Melbourne prompted by Australia’s Ashes failure, and Cricket to battle a bulging disc in his back. Fellow tweaker would take part. But CA chief James Sutherland said it Australia chief executive James Sutherland last night Jason Krejza also will miss out. They were replaced in was unlikely there would be ‘‘really clear windows’’ said he could not offer any job guarantee to either a 14-man squad by debutants — wicketkeeper Tom for Australian players to play the full Big Bash period. Hilditch or Nielsen. Triffitt and batsman and spinner Ashton May. Daylight rule for PUB: players FOOTBALL match against Darwin has NT NEWS By GREY MORRIS been brought forward to 1.30pm. TIWI Bomber officials are AFLNT chairman Bob Elix waiting for feedback from has had brief discussions their players on how to fly to with McGill on future plans the mainland following Sat- to transport players from urday’s fatal air crash on Bathurst and Melville is- DATE: Bathurst Island. lands to Darwin. Bomber’s chairman Alan ‘‘We’re looking at options McGill said the players and our problem is how would be speaking to coun- much is all this going to sellors until late today and cost,’’ Elix said. 9-FEB-2011 would be unavailable for any ‘‘There has been some Two West Australians in synchronised pain after NT batsman Adrian McAdam hits another six Picture: JUSTIN BRIERTY comment. discussions about a bigger But McGill confirmed all aircraft, but we need to find night flights had been ruled out costs, viability, where out after pilot Jamie Ste- we can land and those sort NT’s ‘terrific effort’ fails by five runs phens was killed taking off of things.’’ from Nguiu airstrip minutes Elix said a large part of the By IAN BUTTERWORTH State and Territory division and fielded exceptionally aries and five sixes. PAGE: after offloading a group of club’s budget, almost $140,00, game, and was pipped at the well. It was a terrific effort McAdam was out on the Bomber players. was spent on airfares. AFTER two days’ delay, the post losing by a mere five by the batters to get so close, second ball of the final over. ‘‘Everyone in the com- McGill baulked at the use 2011 Imparja Cup cricket runs. but it was the middle overs ‘‘We needed 16 off the last munities over there has a bit of a bigger plane, saying re- tournament finally got un- Batting first, WA totalled when we were in the field over and I hit a four off the 46 of fear about flying in light stricting take-offs and land- der way in Alice Springs 3/159 after its allotted overs that did us, and in this form first ball and tried to ease aircraft,’’ he said. ings to Bathurst Island yesterday. and in reply the NT man- of the game you can’t allow the second down to fine leg ‘‘That concern and anxiety would not work. Held up because of rain as- aged a competitive 6/154. teams to get so far on top. but only managed to clip it COLOR: level gets raised at night ‘‘We don’t want them driv- sociated with the passage of ‘‘We had a really bad five ‘‘We’ll get over this into my stumps,’’ he said. time, so we’ve made the de- ing on the roads on Melville ex-tropical cyclone Yasi or six overs in the middle of quickly, learn from the ex- ‘‘I should have just wor- cision we won’t let them fly Island at this time of year. through the Red Centre, the their innings where we perience and move on.’’ ked it for one because Vow- at night any more. ‘‘So officially we’re still 18th indigenous cricket didn’t get the field placings Alice Springs resident lesy (Ken Vowles) was up ‘‘It means if we’ve got early waiting to get feedback from carnival finally saw games quite right and bled around and former AFL star Adrian the other end and he would games they might be able to the players. played under the Twenty20 12 runs per over,’’ NT coach McAdam was the power- have got the runs for sure.’’ C get home that day or if they ‘‘Their first reaction was format. Greg Aldam said. ‘‘Apart house with the willow for Other round one results: M have a late game we would they didn’t want to fly, but The NT came up against a from those poor overs we the Territory, smashing 67 QLD 9/135 d VIC 10/67; NSW 2/104 d keep them in Darwin and fly since then it’s been ‘we’re raging hot WA in its first bowled in the right areas off 45 balls with four bound- ACT 9/98 and SA 6/98 d TAS 4/85. Y back the next day.’’ happy to fly, as long as it’s K Saturday’s Round 17 not in the dark’.’’ Cup dream is over for Hussey, Hauritz Low road likely for star Eiffel By RICHARD EARLE As expected, off-spinner 2007 World Cup start, want- strategy to ensure a success- Nathan Hauritz also failed ing to take just one star with ful campaign is for Austra- RISING star Under The Eiffel Under The Eiffel was not AUSTRALIA has signed off to recover from his dislo- fitness concerns to the lia to enter the tournament is likely to take the low road among the first entries for on an injury-cursed World cated shoulder. 50-over showpiece — skip- with a fully fit squad of fif- on Saturday, en route to the the Australian Guineas, run Cup squad — and Mike Hus- Last gasp reinforcements per Ricky Ponting (finger). teen from the first game.’’ Australian Guineas. on March 5, but Vasil sey’s one-day career. — middle-order batsman ‘‘Based on the medical Ponting is expected to be Trainer Tony Vasil said he confirmed connections The only Australian bats- Callum Ferguson and off- advice, an application is fit for Australia’s World Cup would decide this morning were likely to pay a late man in the top 10 internat- spinner Jason Krejza will be being made to the ICC to tournament opener against whether to pit Under The entry fee. ional one-day rankings, Hu- thrust into key starting ro- replace both players in the Zimbabwe on February 21. Eiffel against the stars in Ortensia, who is a certain ssey was ‘‘shattered’’ by his les in subcontinent condit- World Cup squad,’’ said World Cup squad: Ponting, Michael the Orr Stakes but said Orr runner, galloped exclusion yesterday from ions that will suit them. Australian chairman of Clarke, Shane Watson, Callum Ferguson, he was more likely to strongly on the Caulfield the Australian squad. Selectors ruled out Hus- selectors Andrew Hilditch. Cameron White, David Hussey, Brad Had- din, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Brett Lee, stick to his own age group course proper yesterday, her At 35, he faces the end of sey, 35, along the same lines ‘‘The selection panel has Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger, Jason in the Autumn Stakes. final hitout for the Orr. his 50-over journey. that cost Brett Lee (ankle) a determined that the best Krejza, John Hastings, Tim Paine. FOOTROT FLATS 1080127v1 A-league record BRISBANE Roar secured a 2-1 win over North Queensland Fury last night in front of the smallest crowd in A-League history. Just 1003 die-hard fans gathered at Skilled Park. The previous worst was 1632 when the now- defunct New Zealand Knights hosted the Central Coast Mariners in Auckland in September 2006. The Fury’s home match was transferred to Skilled Park because Dairy Farmers Stadium was a casu- alty of Cyclone Yasi. Skilled Park, which is the A-League home of Gold Coast United, has hosted three of the four worst ever A-League crowds following attendances of 1658 and 1714 at two United matches this season. 46 NT NEWS. Wednesday, February 9, 2011. www.ntnews.com.au.