https://www.conservapedia.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Moronicorbit 2026-11-11T23:16:22Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.35.14 https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cricket_World_Cup&diff=386751 2008-02-11T19:18:11Z

<p>Moronicorbit: Undo revision 386635 by Special:Contributions/Tir (User talk:Tir)</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Cricket World Cup''' is a tournament played by the cricketing nations of the world. It's a [[One-Day International]] tournament which is held every four years. The first was staged in England in 1975, and the most recent one was in 2007. The Cricket World Cup is organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which regulates all international matches.<br /> <br /> Nine World Cups have been staged with five countries different countries as winners, Australia are the most successful having won four World Cups including the last three - in 1999, 2003 and 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Structure==<br /> In 2007 sixteen teams participated, they were split into four groups of four. After a round-robin stage, the top two in each group qualified for a &quot;Super 8&quot; stage. The &quot;Super 8&quot; stage was also a round-robin format with the top four qualifying for the Semi-Finals.<br /> <br /> ==History== <br /> <br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> |-<br /> ! Year<br /> ! Hosts<br /> ! Winners<br /> ! Player of Tournament<br /> |-<br /> | 1975<br /> | England<br /> | West Indies<br /> | -<br /> |-<br /> | 1979<br /> | England<br /> | West Indies<br /> | -<br /> |-<br /> | 1983<br /> | England<br /> | India<br /> | -<br /> |-<br /> | 1987<br /> | India/Pakistan<br /> | Australia<br /> | -<br /> |-<br /> | 1992<br /> | Australia/New Zealand<br /> | Pakistan<br /> | [[Martin Crowe]]<br /> |-<br /> | 1996<br /> | India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka<br /> | Sri Lanka<br /> | [[Sanath Jayasuriya]]<br /> |-<br /> | 1999<br /> | England<br /> | Australia<br /> | [[Lance Klusener]]<br /> |-<br /> | 2003<br /> | South Africa<br /> | Australia<br /> | [[Sachin Tendulkar]]<br /> |-<br /> | 2007<br /> | West Indies<br /> | Australia<br /> | [[Glenn McGrath]]<br /> |}<br /> <br /> [[category:sports tournaments]]<br /> [[Category:Cricket]]<br /> {{stub}}</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cordoba&diff=377811 2008-01-21T17:37:30Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add cat</p> <hr /> <div>'''Córdoba''' is a city in [[Andalusia]] in Southern Spain. It is the capital of the province of Córdoba. It has about 300.000 inhabitants. The city is 120m above sea level, situated at the river Guadalquivir and the base of the Sierra Morena mountain range.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> ===References===<br /> [http://www.red2000.com/spain/cordoba/ Cordoba Tourist Information]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Spain]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Peter_Ellis&diff=377719 2008-01-21T13:33:08Z

<p>Moronicorbit: Cricket</p> <hr /> <div>love the changes (improvements) to the Australia page - it is turning into quite a good reference. Thankyou. Bit by bit we can build a wonderful resource on this great land. --[[User:Bilby|Bilby]] 22:34, 29 March 2007 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Lets! :-) [[User:Peter Ellis|Peter Ellis]] 22:40, 29 March 2007 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::Is the DLP still considered a party? They ran a few candidates in last year's Victorian election and nearly got one in. Not sure what its Federal status is - politics is not my area! Well, not party politics anyway.--[[User:Bilby|Bilby]] 23:47, 29 March 2007 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::I've listed *federal* parties. DLP is a state thing, as yet. See recent changes. :-) [[User:Peter Ellis|Peter Ellis]] 00:04, 30 March 2007 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Uniting Church==<br /> <br /> I am not a member of the Uniting Church, but your article is excellent. I suppose the one thing that the church is known for in the wider community, that doesn't get a mention, is the Sydney injecting room. Clearly a controversial subject, but one I think would be interesting to get a run on this site as it demonstrates that the simplification that christian=conservative doesn't always hold by any means. Anyway, I felt it was &quot;your&quot; article so I wanted to leave you to decide whether you wanted to put such a potentially difficult comment on the page. [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 18:14, 25 May 2007 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Good point. It's not an issue for me. (At one stage of my life I was a phone counsellor at the UC Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross and heard and saw the toll of human suffering that the place has to offer. My personal point of view is that anything that helps is better than nothing.) I'll look into it and add a mention. [[User:Peter Ellis|Peter Ellis]] 18:21, 25 May 2007 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Welcome ==<br /> This is very late, but because it has useful links, I'm adding it now...<br /> {{welcome|sig=[[User:Philip J. Rayment|Philip J. Rayment]] 18:57, 26 December 2007 (EST)}}<br /> <br /> == Cricket ==<br /> <br /> Apolgises, I didn't realise they were quotes (I mistakingly thought quotation marks would be used, like the previous section on Batsmen and Bowlers which you had also written). Also the fact the most awful of phrases 'cricket player' was used suggested to me that this was written by an non-cricket expert. --[[User:Moronicorbit|Moronicorbit]] 08:33, 21 January 2008 (EST)</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cricket_(game)&diff=377696 2008-01-21T12:08:51Z

<p>Moronicorbit: lower case</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Cricket_match.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Australia vs India, Sydney Cricket Ground, January 2004. Note how the pitch being used is merely one of many that can be in various stages of preparation.]]<br /> '''Cricket''' is a bat and ball game played between two teams of eleven, normally in the local summer season. At international level, it exists primarily in two forms: Test cricket (played over five days) and one-day cricket (a shortened form of the game, with each team batting one innings of up to 50 overs). A recent innovation has been the &quot;Twenty20&quot; match (20 overs per side).<br /> <br /> Cricket is also played at provincial and county levels, and traditional matches between village and [[public house]] teams are still played in summer on the [[village green]]s of [[England]].<br /> <br /> ==International Game==<br /> The International Cricket Council (ICC) governs the game internationally, and recognises the national cricket administrations of each country. <br /> <br /> On a global scale cricket is only surpassed by [[soccer]] in terms of popularity; it is the primary spectator sport in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[West Indies]] and of major importance in England, [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and [[South Africa]], and in many other places that were historically affected by British colonial influence. Cricket has a low profile in the United States, where baseball is the dominant bat and ball sport, but it is played in various regions. (As of March 2007, the ICC rejected the recognition of the [[USA Cricket Association]] until it adopted a viable constitution and rules, and created a workable administration.) <br /> <br /> ===Code of Laws===<br /> Marylebone Cricket Club in [[London]], which operates The Lord's ground, was formed in 1787. A year later, it composed a Code of Laws that were adopted throughout the game. The MCC remains the custodian and arbiter of Laws relating to cricket around the world. <br /> <br /> ==The Pitch==<br /> <br /> Cricket is played on a [[pitch]] or green, essentially a flat [[grass]] playing field, that is 22 yards (66 feet or 1 chain or 20.12 m) long and 10 feet wide. <br /> <br /> The pitch is marked with various lines or 'creases', and is double-ended so that alternate 'overs' are played from both ends:<br /> *One 'bowling crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch to mark the ends of the pitch. The three stumps in the set of stumps at that end of the pitch are along this crease. The bowling creases may be used to determine whether there is a 'no ball' because a fielder has encroached on the pitch or the wicket keeper has moved in front of the wicket before he is permitted to do so.<br /> *One 'popping crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps, 4 feet (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease. The popping crease is used in one test of whether the bowler has bowled a 'no ball'. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's front foot in the delivery stride (that is, the stride when he releases the ball) must be behind the popping crease (although the bowler's front foot does not have to be grounded).<br /> *A return crease is drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. The return creases are primarily used to determine whether the bowler has bowled a no ball. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's back foot in the delivery stride must land within and not touching the return crease.<br /> <br /> As imperfections in the playing surface may affect the behavior of the ball, the green is considered high maintenance as it has to be regularly rolled, watered and cut to ensure suitability for play. A [[groundskeeper]] is usually employed for this purpose. <br /> <br /> An ideal pitch has fine grass growing in the turf to retain the consistency of the pitch and to prevent cracking, yet its grass has been cut so that the underlying ground is fully exposed.<br /> <br /> An innovation in recent years has been the 'drop-in pitch', which is prepared and tended away from the field of play and then dropped into a specially constructed slot in the ground in place of normal turf. Final preparation is done after the pitch is in place.<br /> <br /> Alternatives to the grass pitch are:<br /> *Concrete topped with plastic 'grass' carpet, matting, or rubber (crushed or granulated, or a section of rubber conveyor belt);<br /> *Concrete pitch (often with green pigment, or painted green);<br /> *Clay surface, watered and rolled;<br /> <br /> ==Equipment==<br /> Cricket balls are made from [[cork]] with a [[leather]] cover. Bats are [[willow]] treated with linseed oil. <br /> <br /> The normal clothing for cricketers is white, or it may coloured for limited over matches:<br /> *long trousers;<br /> *long sleeves shirt (may be short sleeved for night matches); <br /> *stud soled shoes; and<br /> *cap or hat.<br /> <br /> A normal cricketer's cap has a small beak at the front. Members of national teams are 'capped' (given their own team cap) when they are picked for their team. In recent times, it is normal to have cricketers optionally wearing a soft, canvas, broad-brimmed hat. <br /> <br /> The batsman uses pads (shin, arm and body guards), padded gloves, a 'box' (a protection for the groin), and protective headgear in response to the hazards of modern fast-bowling techniques. <br /> <br /> The wicket keeper is the only fielder allowed to wear gloves, made of soft leather (imagine a cross between gardening gloves and a baseball catcher's mit.)<br /> <br /> ==Officials==<br /> Two umpires take to the field for major matches. The umpire at the bowler's end stands behind the stumps and watches the delivery stride of the bowler, the flight of the ball to adjudicate 'wide' or 'no ball' deliveries, and where it might strike the batsman or his bat. <br /> <br /> The 'leg' umpire normally stands behind the batsman (on the 'leg' side of the field) and watches the flight of the ball and any deflection from the bat, in order to assist the other umpire in making a decision about a 'wide' or 'no ball' or a catch behind the stumps.<br /> <br /> A 'third umpire' has been instituted for test and some state/county matches in recent years to decide close decisions for stumpings and run-outs, using video equipment and slow speed replays. <br /> <br /> The captain of the fielding side is also considered an umpire for the specific circumstance where he believes a batsman has been unfairly been give 'out' by the other umpires. He may call the batsman back to continue his innings at bat. The captain is often fielding closer to the batsman than the umpires, and may have seen or heard the circumstances more clearly. This prerogative is rarely exercised, but shows high levels of sportsmanship as it effectively counters the wishes of other members of his team. <br /> <br /> The scorers are considered to be officials. The field umpires use a system of hand and body gestures to indicate runs scored and other matters to the scorers, who are off the field.<br /> <br /> In major games, such as international tests and national competitions, a referee is appointed by the convening body. This person does not go on the field of play, but watches from the stands. In hierarchy above the umpires, he can independently decide or be appealed to for decisions on matters of gamesmanship, etiquette, or cricket rules.<br /> <br /> ==Test (First Class) cricket - an overview==<br /> Test cricket is played between the national teams of two countries. Most test series are 'best of' three or five matches. Typically, various limited over matches are also played as part of the 'season', including several 'warm-up' matches to assist the visiting team to become familiar with local conditions. As each major city in a country has a premier ground, a season normally involves matches in various cities. <br /> <br /> A day's play consists of 90 overs of 6 balls (540 'legal' balls), usually divided into three 2 hour sessions with breaks for lunch and tea.<br /> <br /> ===The Ground===<br /> The size of the field of play varies widely between cricket grounds, but the '''''pitch''''' in the centre is always 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. At either end of this pitch are two sets of '''''wickets''''', consisting of three wooden posts ('''''stumps''''') upon which rest two wooden '''''bails'''''. While most 'international' grounds are of generally similar size, most matches are now played with a '''''boundary rope''''' at a standard distance from the pitch around the edge of the field inside the white picket fence fence.<br /> <br /> ===Getting Out===<br /> A batsman can be dismissed ('''''given out''''') in a number of different ways. The most common are:<br /> * '''Bowled''' – the ball hits the stumps (wicket) and removes the bails direct from the bowler’s delivery, or after hitting only the bat or the batsman's hands (gloves) which are on the bat handle.<br /> * '''Caught''' – the batsman hits the ball and it is caught by the fielding side before it touches the ground.<br /> * '''LBW''' (leg before wicket) – the batsman fails to hit the ball and it strikes him in such a way that the umpire judges it would have gone on to hit the stumps. Note: This mode of dismissal depends on a number of other factors.<br /> * '''Run out''' – The fielding team get the ball to the wickets and 'breaks' the bails from the stumps while the batsman is outside the crease.<br /> * '''Stumped''' – This is a particular case of 'run out' when the wicket keeper takes the ball immediately after delivery and breaks the stumps while the batsman has been attempting a shot while ahead of his crease.<br /> * '''Hit wicket''' - The batsman hits the stumps with his bat, or steps on the stumps while rearing back from a ball, breaking the bails.<br /> <br /> ===Win, Draw, or Tie===<br /> In order to win, a team must dismiss the opposition twice (that is, take 20 wickets) and have scored more runs, within the five days. A match is a 'draw' if either team fails to dismiss the other twice, irrespective of how many runs may have been scored. A 'tie' is when the scores are level at the end of all sessions of play; no extra play is normally used to break a tie in a test match, but extra overs are played in some limited over matches.<br /> <br /> ===Batting and fielding===<br /> The batting side must always have two batsmen operating in partnership, and each member of the batting team is allowed to bat once and only once in an innings. Thus, although they have eleven players, once ten wickets have fallen they are '''''all out''''' and their '''''innings''''' is over. The batting and fielding sides then swap roles and this cycle is repeated so that both teams have two opportunities to bat.<br /> <br /> The game begins with the toss of a coin between the two captains, supervised by the field umpires. The winning captain then elects to bat or field.<br /> <br /> Two batsmen (the '''''openers''''') take to the field accompanied by the entire fielding side and two umpires. The batsman who is to receive the first ball is '''''on strike''''' and takes guard in front of his wicket. His '''''non-striking''''' partner waits at the other end of the pitch.<br /> <br /> The fielding side nominates a bowler, who has six balls (six balls = one '''''over''''') with which to dismiss the batsman. Bowlers normally bowl overarm, and must not straighten the elbow during the delivery of the ball. (Underarm delivery, similar to that used in [[Softball]], was at one time the only form of delivery. It remains in the cricket rules, but is now an oddity. A famous case of its use in an Australia-New Zealand test match resulted in derision for the Australian captain who asked a bowler to use this technique in order to stop the batting side from making a necessary run to win.) <br /> <br /> Typically, bowlers take a run up before delivering a ball. A bowler may not bowl consecutive overs, so that typically two bowlers will bowl alternative overs until the captain decides to make a switch. In theory any player may bowl, but in practice no more than five or six of the eleven will usually participate. One other member of the fielding side acts as the wicket-keeper standing directly behind the wicket to catch any missed balls, or any balls where the batsman managed only a faint touch. The remaining members of the fielding side (who are specialist batsmen) spend the entire innings fielding.<br /> <br /> ====Batting theory====<br /> Batsmen may be either left or right handed: The bat is the same for each. <br /> <br /> The batsmen can run any number of runs at any time, even if the ball has not been struck. <br /> <br /> The batsman aims to hit the ball in such a way that he and his fellow batsman can run safely to the other end and ground his bat, or a piece of his body (foot, hand, etc), within the popping crease before the fielding side can effect a run out. Hitting the ball well into the outfield causes the fielding side to chase the ball and throw it back to the wicket keeper or another player who 'backs up' at the bowling end of the pitch. <br /> <br /> Long hits to poorly defended parts of the ground may allow the batsmen to run four, or the ball may get to the fence for four. <br /> <br /> At certain times the ball is deemed to be 'dead' and the batsmen can wander safely on the pitch between the creases, for example to converse on tactics.<br /> <br /> A good batsman in the top order (batting at positions 1-6) is normally capable of getting 20-50 runs and possibly 100 or many more. The 'lower order' batsmen in a good team, normally the specialist bowlers, may be able to 'slash' 20 runs on a good day.<br /> <br /> ====Bowling theory====<br /> The bowler has two goals, which are not mutually exclusive:<br /> *get the batsmen out, as they can no longer score in that innings; and<br /> *prevent the batsman from scoring.<br /> <br /> It may seem that the bowler should always aim at the batsman's legs, which are in front of the stumps. This is normally easily defended. Hence, bowlers normally bowl a range of balls away from the stumps hoping to lure the batsman into playing a rash or mis-timed shot that goes to a catch or allows the fielders to create a run out.<br /> <br /> Bowlers come in three types: Quick, Medium, and Slow (or 'spin'). A top level team will normally have a bowling attack with two or three quick bowlers, one specialist slow (spin) bowler, and several general players capable of medium pace bowling.<br /> <br /> '''Quick''' or fast bowlers may be delivering balls travelling at 136 to 150 kmh (85 to 95 mph). The ball is intended to either:<br /> *hit the pitch on the seam (between the two halves of the leather) and thereby to bounce (un)predictably, or <br /> *swing in the air towards or away from the bat.<br /> <br /> '''Medium''' pace bowlers use similar tactics to fast bowlers but aim to create more diversity within the speed of their bowling so as to trick the batsman's timing of his swing at the ball.<br /> <br /> '''Slow''' (or '''spin''') bowlers use either wrist or finger spinning techniques to get the ball to swing in the air, or bounce markedly off the pitch in either direction, and thereby snick the bat and be caught or bounce behind the batsman's guard into the stumps.<br /> <br /> Normally, the quick bowlers will open the attack, and bowl for about two hours (or to the end of the first session.) The bowling will then be mixed up, with medium and slow, or quick-medium. At any time the captain may call for a change of bowling to 'mix up' the batsmen and seek to induce lax shots that can create an 'out'.<br /> <br /> =====Over versus around=====<br /> Whether the bowler is right or left handed, they have two options for approaching the pitch to bowl the ball. <br /> *Over the wicket: The bowler's bowling arm is nearer the stumps. (A right handed bowler passes to the left of the stumps.)<br /> *Around the wicket: The bowler typically crosses in front of the umpire who is standing back slightly, and the bowler's bowling arm is away from the stumps. (A right handed bowler crosses the mid-line of the wicket and passes the stumps to the left and behind him.)<br /> <br /> Bowlers will often change delivery direction in order land the ball in a patch of rough or cracked turf. The irregular or uneven bounce that results is intended to reduce the scoring rate or induce desperate or intemperate shots by the batsman. <br /> <br /> By changing his distance away from the stumps (while remaining within the delivery crease), the bowler can achieve a range of approach angles which, when combined with spin and delivery speed, offers the attacking side a broad range of options. <br /> <br /> While it is possible for the bowler to change deliveries at each ball, typically a whole over will be bowled using one or the other of these possible delivery methods. In any case, before the delivery, the bowler must inform the umpire who will in turn inform the batsman.<br /> <br /> =====Grip and concealment=====<br /> The bowlers are under no obligation to inform the batsman about their particular technique for delivering the ball. Bowlers have certain grips on the ball that, if the batsman is able to pick up the shape of the fist or the splay of the fingers, will give a fraction of a second's advantage in determining what shot the batsman may use, or whether to take a step down or across the wicket. <br /> <br /> Bowlers will often adopt strategies to prevent the batsman seeing the delivery hand, such as:<br /> *holding their 'off' hand over the delivery hand during their strides to the crease;<br /> *holding the ball in the 'off' hand until the last delivery stride;<br /> *cocking the hand so that the bowler sees the back of the hand and not the fingers (and their particular grip on the ball);<br /> *striding in with the delivery arm behind their body.<br /> <br /> ===Scoring===<br /> <br /> The batsman’s aim is to score '''''runs''''' whilst protecting his wicket. Generally speaking, in order to score a run, he must first hit the ball. He and his partner must then decide whether or not they can run to each other’s end of the pitch before the fielding side have time to break either wicket with the ball. They may run as many times as they are able per hit and the ''on strike'' batsman scores one run for his team each time they do so.<br /> <br /> If the ball reaches the boundary rope, the batsman automatically scores four runs. If it clears the rope without first touching the ground, it scores six runs. (If a fielder is in contact with the ball when they touch the fence/rope then it is counted as a four or six depending on whether the ball has previously touched the ground or would have carried over the fence/rope.) <br /> <br /> A 'no ball' may be called by an umpire according to various infractions by a bowler. The batting team gets one run counted to its score, and the ball is rebowled. A batsman can not be caught (out) on a no ball. Bowling infractions may include overstepping the popping crease, or delivering a ball that goes outside the return crease at the batsman's end or over the batsman's head (a wild delivery). <br /> <br /> A 'bye' is a run scored when the ball is not hit. This may occur when the ball hits the batsman's apparel (clothes or protective equipment) and is deflected off into the field of play, or when a bowler delivers a ball that the wicket keeper fails to gather up. Batsmen may either 'run' or, if the ball goes to the boundary, a 'four' may be awarded even if the batsmen have run fewer.<br /> <br /> The notation for scoring leads to a particular term, 'dot ball', as in the scoring sheet a ball that does not get a run is noted with a dot. Accordingly, an over with a single, dot, no ball, dot, three, dot, single, would be marked 1.nb.3.1 (six 'legal' deliveries) and the score has increased by 6 runs including one for the no ball.<br /> <br /> ====Example of Match Scoring====<br /> <br /> The scoring of matches, and especially the way results are presented, can sometimes be confusing. As an example, let us imagine that, at the end of the first day’s play, Sri Lanka have scored 286 runs and have lost 5 wickets. This would be written as '''286-5'''.<br /> <br /> Playing Australia, the match pans out as follows:<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 1st innings: 431<br /> * Australia – 1st innings: 390<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 2nd innings: 360<br /> <br /> Australia now need 402 runs to win. At the end of the 4th day, they find themselves 100-3 in their 2nd innings. Thus, they require 302 more runs to win on the final day with 7 wickets in hand.<br /> <br /> If Australia are bowled out for a 2nd innings total of 300, then they would have fallen short by 102. Sri Lanka would be said to have '''won by 101 runs''' (if Australia had scored exactly 401, the game would have been a tie).<br /> <br /> If, however, Australia reached their target only having lost another three wickets (402-6), they would be said to have '''won by 4 wickets'''.<br /> <br /> If at the end of the fifth day's play Australia were 350-8, they would not yet have reached their target, and Sri Lanka would not yet have taken 10 wickets. In this instance both teams would have failed to win and the game would be declared a draw. This occurrence is not uncommon.<br /> <br /> ==Other aspects of the game==<br /> ===Grounds===<br /> Grounds in different parts of one country, let along different parts of the world, play differently: Wickets in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, are renowned for being 'hard'; English wickets are 'green' (have grass obvious in the playing surface); the ground in [[Perth, Western Australia]] has a daily sea breeze in the afternoon.<br /> <br /> Then, there are oddities: <br /> *The &quot;Lord's&quot; ground, the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (established 1787) in London, has a slant of about 2.5m (8 feet) from one side of the ground to the other, so a shot made 'down the hill' typically goes further into the field than a shot made 'up the hill'.<br /> *Grounds in the West Indies and India often have hundreds of people sitting in or hanging from trees in order to get an unobstructed view.<br /> *&quot;The Gabba&quot; ground (at Woolloongabba in [[Brisbane, Queensland]]) has cantilevered spectator stands that protrude over the surrounding streets&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.onesteel.com/images/db_images/casestudies/sports17cbp.pdf Structural Steel Casebook, Issue 17, October 2000, pp4/6/8, OneSteel, accessed 5 January 2008&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ===Day and Night===<br /> Play is normally during the day, but an innovation since the 1970s has been the introduction of light towers at cricket grounds that allow play to continue through dusk and into the night.<br /> <br /> ===Sight Screen===<br /> At each end of a major cricket ground is a 'sight screen', which is of a contrasting colour to the ball; white screen for a red 'day' ball; black screen for a white 'night' ball. The screen is moved so as to be behind the bowler from the perspective of the batsman. The ball thus stands out from the background and assists the batsman in making decisions about his shot. <br /> <br /> ==='Walking'===<br /> High sportsmanship is shown when a batsman 'walks' from the field, conceding his wicket, when he knows that he has been 'out' by the rules of the game, but was not given out by the umpires. The fielding side may not even have 'appealed' to the umpire. For instance, this may occur when he feels the ball 'nick' his gloves or the bat and the ball is then caught by the wicket keeper. <br /> <br /> Conversely, a batsman does not have to walk unless the umpire gives him 'out'. He may know that he was out by the rules of the game (for example, he felt a nick) but, after the fielding side has 'appealed' for the wicket (out), the umpire decides that it was 'not out'; and, the batsman is within his rights to 'stand his ground' based on the umpires decision.<br /> <br /> ===Winter===<br /> Cricket grounds are of a size that allows them to be marked out during winter for playing football: [[soccer]], [[Rugby]], [[Rugby Union]], or [[Australian Rules]].<br /> <br /> Many cricketers play baseball in winter, to keep up their hand-eye coordination.<br /> <br /> ===Women's Cricket===<br /> A strong international competition exists for women playing cricket. This is based on national competitions at various levels (state/county, regional and local). <br /> <br /> ===Blind Cricket===<br /> People with vision impairment, along with fully sighted people, can play [[Blind]] Cricket. (Sighted people are fitted with special spectacles that distort their vision.)<br /> <br /> The ball is normally a white plastic ball of similar size to a cricket ball or softball, and has inside it a bell or metal pieces that make a noise as the ball moves. <br /> <br /> The bowler calls out to the batsman, &quot;Are you ready?&quot;, which allows the batsman to line up for the delivery. Similarly, the batsman's reply, or a call from the wicket keeper, allows the bowler to line up. <br /> <br /> The batsman can be got 'out' in the same ways as for sighted cricket, except that catching is not permitted. <br /> <br /> ===Duckworth-Lewis scoring===<br /> In the event that a limited over match is affected by rain or other stops to play, a system of score amendment is used developed by Mr Duckworth and Mr Lewis. This allows the umpires to calculate a new score target to win for the second side batting for any given amount of time remaining for normal play. If a game may be rain affected, it is in the interests of the first side batting to score at a rapid and even rate, so that a revised target is difficult for the following side to achieve.<br /> <br /> ==Famous Cricketers==<br /> ===Batsmen===<br /> *Dr [[W.G. Grace]] (1848-1915), English - &quot;the best-known Englishman of his time&quot;<br /> *Sir [[Donald Bradman]] (1908-2001), Australian, &quot;The Don&quot; - &quot;the greatest batsman of all time&quot; (test match average of 99.94 runs; top score 334; 29 100s &amp; 13 50s; 6,996 runs in 52 matches)<br /> *[[Sachin Tendulkar]] (1973-), Indian - &quot;the greatest One-Day International cricketer of all time&quot; (Tests: ~12,000 @ 55 av; ODI: ~16,000 @ 44 av; First Class: ~20,000 @ 59 av; List A ODI: ~19,000 @ 45 av; still playing)<br /> *Sir [[Gary Sobers]] (1936-), Barbadian - &quot;the greatest all-rounder of all time&quot;. The first player to hit six sixes in one over of first-class cricket. <br /> *Sir [[Vivian Richards|Viv Richards]] (1952-), Antigua, West Indies - &quot;the greatest ODI batsman of all time&quot; until Tendulkar (Tests: 8,540 @ 50.23 av; ODI: 6721 @ 47.00 av; First Class: 36,212 @ 49.40 av; List A ODI: 16,995 @ 41.96 av)<br /> <br /> ===Bowlers===<br /> *[[Shane Warne]] (1969-), Australian - spin bowler, &quot;cricketer of the century&quot; (Tests: 40,704 balls for 708 wickets @ 25.41 balls/wicket; ODI: 10,642 for 293 @ 25.73 av; First Class: 74,830 for 1,319 @ 26.11 av; List A ODI: 16,419 for 473 @ 24.61 av; retired 2007)<br /> *[[Muttiah Muralitharan]] (1972-), Sri Lankan - spin bowler, &quot;the greatest Test match bowler ever&quot; (still playing; as at December 2007 - Tests: 39,202 balls for 723 wickets @ 21.77 balls/wicket; ODI: 16,094 for 455 @ 22.68 av; First Class: 62,096 for 1,297 @ 18.93 av; List A ODI: 20,095 for 575 @ 22.97 av)<br /> *[[Glenn McGrath]] (1970-), Australian - quick bowler, &quot;holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler&quot; (Retired from test cricket 2007; still playing demonstration matches; as at August 2007 - Tests: 29248 balls for 563 wickets @ 21.64 balls/wicket; ODI: 12970 for 381 @ 22.02 av; First Class: 41759 for 835 @ 20.85 av; List A ODI: 15808 for 463 @ 21.60 av)<br /> <br /> ===Dream Team===<br /> According to [[Richie Benaud]], former Captain of the Australian Cricket Team and since then known internationally as &quot;The Voice of Cricket&quot; (commentator, both ball-by-ball and expert opinion):<br /> <br /> ''The Opening Batsmen:''<br /> <br /> 1. Sir John Berry 'Jack' Hobbs (England) - The greatest opener, and the first English cricketer to be [[knight|knighted]] (1953)<br /> <br /> 2. [[Sunil Gavaskar]] (India) - The most difficult batsman to dismiss, and a fine opener<br /> <br /> ''Middle Order Batsmen:''<br /> <br /> 3. Sir Don Bradman (Australia) - The best batsman to walk the Earth, and the first cricketer to be knighted (1949)<br /> <br /> 4. Sir Viv Richards (West Indies) - The finest striker of a cicket ball<br /> <br /> 5. Sachin Tendulkar (India) - The greatest batsman of the modern era<br /> <br /> ''All-rounders:''<br /> <br /> 6. Sir Gary Sobers (West Indies) - The finest all-rounder of all-time<br /> <br /> 7. [[Imran Khan]] Naizi (Pakistan) - the finest cricketer/captain to emerge from Pakistan; picked ahead of [[Kapil Dev]], [[Ian Botham]] &amp; [[Richard Hadlee]]<br /> <br /> ''Wicket Keeper:''<br /> <br /> 8. [[Adam Gilchrist]] (Australia) - The finest wicket-keeper batsman the world has ever seen<br /> <br /> ''Spinner:''<br /> <br /> 9. Shane Warne (Australia) - The finest leg-spin bowler of all-time<br /> <br /> ''Fast Bowlers:''<br /> <br /> 10. [[Dennis Lillee]] (Australia) - The best fast bowler ever<br /> <br /> 11. [[Sydney Barnes]] (England) - A fast-bowling legend<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> * [http://www.icc-cricket.com International Cricket Council]<br /> * [http://www.lords.org The Lord's ground and the Marylebone Cricket Club]<br /> * [http://www.cricket.com.au 'Cricket Australia']<br /> * [http://stats.rleague.com/tc/players/player_index.html Player statistics (index)] - by country<br /> * [http://www.championships.vbca.org.au/ Vision Australia 29th National 'Blind Cricket' Championships, 29 December 2007 - 11 January 2008]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Cricket]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cricket_(game)&diff=377694 2008-01-21T12:01:31Z

<p>Moronicorbit: /* The Pitch */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Cricket_match.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Australia vs India, Sydney Cricket Ground, January 2004. Note how the pitch being used is merely one of many that can be in various stages of preparation.]]<br /> '''Cricket''' is a bat and ball game played between two teams of eleven, normally in the local summer season. At international level, it exists primarily in two forms: Test cricket (played over five days) and one-day cricket (a shortened form of the game, with each team batting one innings of up to 50 overs). A recent innovation has been the &quot;Twenty20&quot; match (20 overs per side).<br /> <br /> Cricket is also played at provincial and county levels, and traditional matches between village and [[public house]] teams are still played in summer on the [[village green]]s of [[England]].<br /> <br /> ==International Game==<br /> The International Cricket Council (ICC) governs the game internationally, and recognises the national cricket administrations of each country. <br /> <br /> On a global scale cricket is only surpassed by [[soccer]] in terms of popularity; it is the primary spectator sport in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[West Indies]] and of major importance in England, [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and [[South Africa]], and in many other places that were historically affected by British colonial influence. Cricket has a low profile in the United States, where baseball is the dominant bat and ball sport, but it is played in various regions. (As of March 2007, the ICC rejected the recognition of the [[USA Cricket Association]] until it adopted a viable constitution and rules, and created a workable administration.) <br /> <br /> ===Code of Laws===<br /> Marylebone Cricket Club in [[London]], which operates The Lord's ground, was formed in 1787. A year later, it composed a Code of Laws that were adopted throughout the game. The MCC remains the custodian and arbiter of Laws relating to cricket around the world. <br /> <br /> ==The Pitch==<br /> <br /> Cricket is played on a [[pitch]] or green, essentially a flat [[grass]] playing field, that is 22 yards (66 feet or 1 chain or 20.12 m) long and 10 feet wide. <br /> <br /> The pitch is marked with various lines or 'creases', and is double-ended so that alternate 'overs' are played from both ends:<br /> *One 'bowling crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch to mark the ends of the pitch. The three stumps in the set of stumps at that end of the pitch are along this crease. The bowling creases may be used to determine whether there is a 'no ball' because a fielder has encroached on the pitch or the wicket keeper has moved in front of the wicket before he is permitted to do so.<br /> *One 'popping crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps, 4 feet (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease. The popping crease is used in one test of whether the bowler has bowled a 'no ball'. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's front foot in the delivery stride (that is, the stride when he releases the ball) must be behind the popping crease (although the bowler's front foot does not have to be grounded).<br /> *A return crease is drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. The return creases are primarily used to determine whether the bowler has bowled a no ball. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's back foot in the delivery stride must land within and not touching the return crease.<br /> <br /> As imperfections in the playing surface may affect the behavior of the ball, the green is considered high maintenance as it has to be regularly rolled, watered and cut to ensure suitability for play. A [[groundskeeper]] is usually employed for this purpose. <br /> <br /> An ideal pitch has fine grass growing in the turf to retain the consistency of the pitch and to prevent cracking, yet its grass has been cut so that the underlying ground is fully exposed.<br /> <br /> An innovation in recent years has been the 'drop-in pitch', which is prepared and tended away from the field of play and then dropped into a specially constructed slot in the ground in place of normal turf. Final preparation is done after the pitch is in place.<br /> <br /> Alternatives to the grass pitch are:<br /> *Concrete topped with plastic 'grass' carpet, matting, or rubber (crushed or granulated, or a section of rubber conveyor belt);<br /> *Concrete pitch (often with green pigment, or painted green);<br /> *Clay surface, watered and rolled;<br /> <br /> ==Equipment==<br /> Cricket balls are made from [[cork]] with a [[leather]] cover. Bats are [[willow]] treated with linseed oil. <br /> <br /> The normal clothing for cricketers is white, or it may coloured for limited over matches:<br /> *long trousers;<br /> *long sleeves shirt (may be short sleeved for night matches); <br /> *stud soled shoes; and<br /> *cap or hat.<br /> <br /> A normal cricketer's cap has a small beak at the front. Members of national teams are 'capped' (given their own team cap) when they are picked for their team. In recent times, it is normal to have cricketers optionally wearing a soft, canvas, broad-brimmed hat. <br /> <br /> The batsman uses pads (shin, arm and body guards), padded gloves, a 'box' (a protection for the groin), and protective headgear in response to the hazards of modern fast-bowling techniques. <br /> <br /> The wicket keeper is the only fielder allowed to wear gloves, made of soft leather (imagine a cross between gardening gloves and a baseball catcher's mit.)<br /> <br /> ==Officials==<br /> Two umpires take to the field for major matches. The umpire at the bowler's end stands behind the stumps and watches the delivery stride of the bowler, the flight of the ball to adjudicate 'wide' or 'no ball' deliveries, and where it might strike the batsman or his bat. <br /> <br /> The 'leg' umpire normally stands behind the batsman (on the 'leg' side of the field) and watches the flight of the ball and any deflection from the bat, in order to assist the other umpire in making a decision about a 'wide' or 'no ball' or a catch behind the stumps.<br /> <br /> A 'third umpire' has been instituted for test and some state/county matches in recent years to decide close decisions for stumpings and run-outs, using video equipment and slow speed replays. <br /> <br /> The captain of the fielding side is also considered an umpire for the specific circumstance where he believes a batsman has been unfairly been give 'out' by the other umpires. He may call the batsman back to continue his innings at bat. The captain is often fielding closer to the batsman than the umpires, and may have seen or heard the circumstances more clearly. This prerogative is rarely exercised, but shows high levels of sportsmanship as it effectively counters the wishes of other members of his team. <br /> <br /> The scorers are considered to be officials. The field umpires use a system of hand and body gestures to indicate runs scored and other matters to the scorers, who are off the field.<br /> <br /> In major games, such as international tests and national competitions, a referee is appointed by the convening body. This person does not go on the field of play, but watches from the stands. In hierarchy above the umpires, he can independently decide or be appealed to for decisions on matters of gamesmanship, etiquette, or cricket rules.<br /> <br /> ==Test (First Class) cricket - an overview==<br /> Test cricket is played between the national teams of two countries. Most test series are 'best of' three or five matches. Typically, various limited over matches are also played as part of the 'season', including several 'warm-up' matches to assist the visiting team to become familiar with local conditions. As each major city in a country has a premier ground, a season normally involves matches in various cities. <br /> <br /> A day's play consists of 90 overs of 6 balls (540 'legal' balls), usually divided into three 2 hour sessions with breaks for lunch and tea.<br /> <br /> ===The Ground===<br /> The size of the field of play varies widely between cricket grounds, but the '''''pitch''''' in the centre is always 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. At either end of this pitch are two sets of '''''wickets''''', consisting of three wooden posts ('''''stumps''''') upon which rest two wooden '''''bails'''''. While most 'international' grounds are of generally similar size, most matches are now played with a '''''boundary rope''''' at a standard distance from the pitch around the edge of the field inside the white picket fence fence.<br /> <br /> ===Getting Out===<br /> A batsman can be dismissed ('''''given out''''') in a number of different ways. The most common are:<br /> * '''Bowled''' – the ball hits the stumps (wicket) and removes the bails direct from the bowler’s delivery, or after hitting only the bat or the batsman's hands (gloves) which are on the bat handle.<br /> * '''Caught''' – the batsman hits the ball and it is caught by the fielding side before it touches the ground.<br /> * '''LBW''' (leg before wicket) – the batsman fails to hit the ball and it strikes him in such a way that the umpire judges it would have gone on to hit the stumps. Note: This mode of dismissal depends on a number of other factors.<br /> * '''Run out''' – The fielding team get the ball to the wickets and 'breaks' the bails from the stumps while the batsman is outside the crease.<br /> * '''Stumped''' – This is a particular case of 'run out' when the wicket keeper takes the ball immediately after delivery and breaks the stumps while the batsman has been attempting a shot while ahead of his crease.<br /> * '''Hit wicket''' - The batsman hits the stumps with his bat, or steps on the stumps while rearing back from a ball, breaking the bails.<br /> <br /> ===Win, Draw, or Tie===<br /> In order to win, a team must dismiss the opposition twice (that is, take 20 wickets) and have scored more runs, within the five days. A match is a 'draw' if either team fails to dismiss the other twice, irrespective of how many runs may have been scored. A 'tie' is when the scores are level at the end of all sessions of play; no extra play is normally used to break a tie in a test match, but extra overs are played in some limited over matches.<br /> <br /> ===Batting and fielding===<br /> The batting side must always have two batsmen operating in partnership, and each member of the batting team is allowed to bat once and only once in an innings. Thus, although they have eleven players, once ten wickets have fallen they are '''''all out''''' and their '''''innings''''' is over. The batting and fielding sides then swap roles and this cycle is repeated so that both teams have two opportunities to bat.<br /> <br /> The game begins with the toss of a coin between the two captains, supervised by the field umpires. The winning captain then elects to bat or field.<br /> <br /> Two batsmen (the '''''openers''''') take to the field accompanied by the entire fielding side and two umpires. The batsman who is to receive the first ball is '''''on strike''''' and takes guard in front of his wicket. His '''''non-striking''''' partner waits at the other end of the pitch.<br /> <br /> The fielding side nominates a bowler, who has six balls (six balls = one '''''over''''') with which to dismiss the batsman. Bowlers normally bowl overarm, and must not straighten the elbow during the delivery of the ball. (Underarm delivery, similar to that used in [[Softball]], was at one time the only form of delivery. It remains in the cricket rules, but is now an oddity. A famous case of its use in an Australia-New Zealand test match resulted in derision for the Australian captain who asked a bowler to use this technique in order to stop the batting side from making a necessary run to win.) <br /> <br /> Typically, bowlers take a run up before delivering a ball. A bowler may not bowl consecutive overs, so that typically two bowlers will bowl alternative overs until the captain decides to make a switch. In theory any player may bowl, but in practice no more than five or six of the eleven will usually participate. One other member of the fielding side acts as the wicket-keeper standing directly behind the wicket to catch any missed balls, or any balls where the batsman managed only a faint touch. The remaining members of the fielding side (who are specialist batsmen) spend the entire innings fielding.<br /> <br /> ====Batting theory====<br /> Batsmen may be either left or right handed: The bat is the same for each. <br /> <br /> The batsmen can run any number of runs at any time, even if the ball has not been struck. <br /> <br /> The batsman aims to hit the ball in such a way that he and his fellow batsman can run safely to the other end and ground his bat, or a piece of his body (foot, hand, etc), within the popping crease before the fielding side can effect a run out. Hitting the ball well into the outfield causes the fielding side to chase the ball and throw it back to the wicket keeper or another player who 'backs up' at the bowling end of the pitch. <br /> <br /> Long hits to poorly defended parts of the ground may allow the batsmen to run four, or the ball may get to the fence for four. <br /> <br /> At certain times the ball is deemed to be 'dead' and the batsmen can wander safely on the pitch between the creases, for example to converse on tactics.<br /> <br /> A good batsman in the top order (batting at positions 1-6) is normally capable of getting 20-50 runs and possibly 100 or many more. The 'lower order' batsmen in a good team, normally the specialist bowlers, may be able to 'slash' 20 runs on a good day.<br /> <br /> ====Bowling theory====<br /> The bowler has two goals, which are not mutually exclusive:<br /> *get the batsmen out, as they can no longer score in that innings; and<br /> *prevent the batsman from scoring.<br /> <br /> It may seem that the bowler should always aim at the batsman's legs, which are in front of the stumps. This is normally easily defended. Hence, bowlers normally bowl a range of balls away from the stumps hoping to lure the batsman into playing a rash or mis-timed shot that goes to a catch or allows the fielders to create a run out.<br /> <br /> Bowlers come in three types: Quick, Medium, and Slow (or 'spin'). A top level team will normally have a bowling attack with two or three quick bowlers, one specialist slow (spin) bowler, and several general players capable of medium pace bowling.<br /> <br /> '''Quick''' or fast bowlers may be delivering balls travelling at 136 to 150 kmh (85 to 95 mph). The ball is intended to either:<br /> *hit the pitch on the seam (between the two halves of the leather) and thereby to bounce (un)predictably, or <br /> *swing in the air towards or away from the bat.<br /> <br /> '''Medium''' pace bowlers use similar tactics to fast bowlers but aim to create more diversity within the speed of their bowling so as to trick the batsman's timing of his swing at the ball.<br /> <br /> '''Slow''' (or '''spin''') bowlers use either wrist or finger spinning techniques to get the ball to swing in the air, or bounce markedly off the pitch in either direction, and thereby snick the bat and be caught or bounce behind the batsman's guard into the stumps.<br /> <br /> Normally, the quick bowlers will open the attack, and bowl for about two hours (or to the end of the first session.) The bowling will then be mixed up, with medium and slow, or quick-medium. At any time the captain may call for a change of bowling to 'mix up' the batsmen and seek to induce lax shots that can create an 'out'.<br /> <br /> =====Over versus around=====<br /> Whether the bowler is right or left handed, they have two options for approaching the pitch to bowl the ball. <br /> *Over the wicket: The bowler's bowling arm is nearer the stumps. (A right handed bowler passes to the left of the stumps.)<br /> *Around the wicket: The bowler typically crosses in front of the umpire who is standing back slightly, and the bowler's bowling arm is away from the stumps. (A right handed bowler crosses the mid-line of the wicket and passes the stumps to the left and behind him.)<br /> <br /> Bowlers will often change delivery direction in order land the ball in a patch of rough or cracked turf. The irregular or uneven bounce that results is intended to reduce the scoring rate or induce desperate or intemperate shots by the batsman. <br /> <br /> By changing his distance away from the stumps (while remaining within the delivery crease), the bowler can achieve a range of approach angles which, when combined with spin and delivery speed, offers the attacking side a broad range of options. <br /> <br /> While it is possible for the bowler to change deliveries at each ball, typically a whole over will be bowled using one or the other of these possible delivery methods. In any case, before the delivery, the bowler must inform the umpire who will in turn inform the batsman.<br /> <br /> =====Grip and concealment=====<br /> The bowlers are under no obligation to inform the batsman about their particular technique for delivering the ball. Bowlers have certain grips on the ball that, if the batsman is able to pick up the shape of the fist or the splay of the fingers, will give a fraction of a second's advantage in determining what shot the batsman may use, or whether to take a step down or across the wicket. <br /> <br /> Bowlers will often adopt strategies to prevent the batsman seeing the delivery hand, such as:<br /> *holding their 'off' hand over the delivery hand during their strides to the crease;<br /> *holding the ball in the 'off' hand until the last delivery stride;<br /> *cocking the hand so that the bowler sees the back of the hand and not the fingers (and their particular grip on the ball);<br /> *striding in with the delivery arm behind their body.<br /> <br /> ===Scoring===<br /> <br /> The batsman’s aim is to score '''''runs''''' whilst protecting his wicket. Generally speaking, in order to score a run, he must first hit the ball. He and his partner must then decide whether or not they can run to each other’s end of the pitch before the fielding side have time to break either wicket with the ball. They may run as many times as they are able per hit and the ''on strike'' batsman scores one run for his team each time they do so.<br /> <br /> If the ball reaches the boundary rope, the batsman automatically scores four runs. If it clears the rope without first touching the ground, it scores six runs. (If a fielder is in contact with the ball when they touch the fence/rope then it is counted as a four or six depending on whether the ball has previously touched the ground or would have carried over the fence/rope.) <br /> <br /> A 'no ball' may be called by an umpire according to various infractions by a bowler. The batting team gets one run counted to its score, and the ball is rebowled. A batsman can not be caught (out) on a no ball. Bowling infractions may include overstepping the popping crease, or delivering a ball that goes outside the return crease at the batsman's end or over the batsman's head (a wild delivery). <br /> <br /> A 'bye' is a run scored when the ball is not hit. This may occur when the ball hits the batsman's apparel (clothes or protective equipment) and is deflected off into the field of play, or when a bowler delivers a ball that the wicket keeper fails to gather up. Batsmen may either 'run' or, if the ball goes to the boundary, a 'four' may be awarded even if the batsmen have run fewer.<br /> <br /> The notation for scoring leads to a particular term, 'dot ball', as in the scoring sheet a ball that does not get a run is noted with a dot. Accordingly, an over with a single, dot, no ball, dot, three, dot, single, would be marked 1.nb.3.1 (six 'legal' deliveries) and the score has increased by 6 runs including one for the no ball.<br /> <br /> ====Example of Match Scoring====<br /> <br /> The scoring of matches, and especially the way results are presented, can sometimes be confusing. As an example, let us imagine that, at the end of the first day’s play, Sri Lanka have scored 286 runs and have lost 5 wickets. This would be written as '''286-5'''.<br /> <br /> Playing Australia, the match pans out as follows:<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 1st innings: 431<br /> * Australia – 1st innings: 390<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 2nd innings: 360<br /> <br /> Australia now need 402 runs to win. At the end of the 4th day, they find themselves 100-3 in their 2nd innings. Thus, they require 302 more runs to win on the final day with 7 wickets in hand.<br /> <br /> If Australia are bowled out for a 2nd innings total of 300, then they would have fallen short by 102. Sri Lanka would be said to have '''won by 101 runs''' (if Australia had scored exactly 401, the game would have been a tie).<br /> <br /> If, however, Australia reached their target only having lost another three wickets (402-6), they would be said to have '''won by 4 wickets'''.<br /> <br /> If at the end of the fifth day's play Australia were 350-8, they would not yet have reached their target, and Sri Lanka would not yet have taken 10 wickets. In this instance both teams would have failed to win and the game would be declared a draw. This occurrence is not uncommon.<br /> <br /> ==Other aspects of the game==<br /> ===Grounds===<br /> Grounds in different parts of one country, let along different parts of the world, play differently: Wickets in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, are renowned for being 'hard'; English wickets are 'green' (have grass obvious in the playing surface); the ground in [[Perth, Western Australia]] has a daily sea breeze in the afternoon.<br /> <br /> Then, there are oddities: <br /> *The &quot;Lord's&quot; ground, the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (established 1787) in London, has a slant of about 2.5m (8 feet) from one side of the ground to the other, so a shot made 'down the hill' typically goes further into the field than a shot made 'up the hill'.<br /> *Grounds in the West Indies and India often have hundreds of people sitting in or hanging from trees in order to get an unobstructed view.<br /> *&quot;The Gabba&quot; ground (at Woolloongabba in [[Brisbane, Queensland]]) has cantilevered spectator stands that protrude over the surrounding streets&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.onesteel.com/images/db_images/casestudies/sports17cbp.pdf Structural Steel Casebook, Issue 17, October 2000, pp4/6/8, OneSteel, accessed 5 January 2008&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ===Day and Night===<br /> Play is normally during the day, but an innovation since the 1970s has been the introduction of light towers at cricket grounds that allow play to continue through dusk and into the night.<br /> <br /> ===Sight Screen===<br /> At each end of a major cricket ground is a 'sight screen', which is of a contrasting colour to the ball; white screen for a red 'day' ball; black screen for a white 'night' ball. The screen is moved so as to be behind the bowler from the perspective of the batsman. The ball thus stands out from the background and assists the batsman in making decisions about his shot. <br /> <br /> ==='Walking'===<br /> High sportsmanship is shown when a batsman 'walks' from the field, conceding his wicket, when he knows that he has been 'out' by the rules of the game, but was not given out by the umpires. The fielding side may not even have 'appealed' to the umpire. For instance, this may occur when he feels the ball 'nick' his gloves or the bat and the ball is then caught by the wicket keeper. <br /> <br /> Conversely, a batsman does not have to walk unless the umpire gives him 'out'. He may know that he was out by the rules of the game (for example, he felt a nick) but, after the fielding side has 'appealed' for the wicket (out), the umpire decides that it was 'not out'; and, the batsman is within his rights to 'stand his ground' based on the umpires decision.<br /> <br /> ===Winter===<br /> Cricket grounds are of a size that allows them to be marked out during winter for playing football: [[soccer]], [[Rugby]], [[Rugby Union]], or [[Australian Rules]].<br /> <br /> Many cricketers play baseball in winter, to keep up their hand-eye coordination.<br /> <br /> ===Women's Cricket===<br /> A strong international competition exists for women playing cricket. This is based on national competitions at various levels (state/county, regional and local). <br /> <br /> ===Blind Cricket===<br /> People with vision impairment, along with fully sighted people, can play [[Blind]] Cricket. (Sighted people are fitted with special spectacles that distort their vision.)<br /> <br /> The ball is normally a white plastic ball of similar size to a cricket ball or softball, and has inside it a bell or metal pieces that make a noise as the ball moves. <br /> <br /> The bowler calls out to the batsman, &quot;Are you ready?&quot;, which allows the batsman to line up for the delivery. Similarly, the batsman's reply, or a call from the wicket keeper, allows the bowler to line up. <br /> <br /> The batsman can be got 'out' in the same ways as for sighted cricket, except that catching is not permitted. <br /> <br /> ===Duckworth-Lewis scoring===<br /> In the event that a limited over match is affected by rain or other stops to play, a system of score amendment is used developed by Mr Duckworth and Mr Lewis. This allows the umpires to calculate a new score target to win for the second side batting for any given amount of time remaining for normal play. If a game may be rain affected, it is in the interests of the first side batting to score at a rapid and even rate, so that a revised target is difficult for the following side to achieve.<br /> <br /> ==Famous Cricketers==<br /> ===Batsmen===<br /> *Dr [[W.G. Grace]] (1848-1915), English - &quot;the best-known Englishman of his time&quot;<br /> *Sir [[Donald Bradman]] (1908-2001), Australian, &quot;The Don&quot; - &quot;the greatest batsman of all time&quot; (test match average of 99.94 runs; top score 334; 29 100s &amp; 13 50s; 6,996 runs in 52 matches)<br /> *[[Sachin Tendulkar]] (1973-), Indian - &quot;the greatest One-Day International cricketer of all time&quot; (Tests: ~12,000 @ 55 av; ODI: ~16,000 @ 44 av; First Class: ~20,000 @ 59 av; List A ODI: ~19,000 @ 45 av; still playing)<br /> *Sir [[Gary Sobers]] (1936-), Barbadian - &quot;the greatest all-rounder of all time&quot;. The first player to hit six sixes in one over of first-class cricket. <br /> *Sir [[Vivian Richards|Viv Richards]] (1952-), Antigua, West Indies - &quot;the greatest ODI batsman of all time&quot; until Tendulkar (Tests: 8,540 @ 50.23 av; ODI: 6721 @ 47.00 av; First Class: 36,212 @ 49.40 av; List A ODI: 16,995 @ 41.96 av)<br /> <br /> ===Bowlers===<br /> *[[Shane Warne]] (1969-), Australian - spin bowler, &quot;cricketer of the century&quot; (Tests: 40,704 balls for 708 wickets @ 25.41 balls/wicket; ODI: 10,642 for 293 @ 25.73 av; First Class: 74,830 for 1,319 @ 26.11 av; List A ODI: 16,419 for 473 @ 24.61 av; retired 2007)<br /> *[[Muttiah Muralitharan]] (1972-), Sri Lankan - spin bowler, &quot;the greatest Test match bowler ever&quot; (still playing; as at December 2007 - Tests: 39,202 balls for 723 wickets @ 21.77 balls/wicket; ODI: 16,094 for 455 @ 22.68 av; First Class: 62,096 for 1,297 @ 18.93 av; List A ODI: 20,095 for 575 @ 22.97 av)<br /> *[[Glenn McGrath]] (1970-), Australian - quick bowler, &quot;holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler&quot; (Retired from test cricket 2007; still playing demonstration matches; as at August 2007 - Tests: 29248 balls for 563 wickets @ 21.64 balls/wicket; ODI: 12970 for 381 @ 22.02 av; First Class: 41759 for 835 @ 20.85 av; List A ODI: 15808 for 463 @ 21.60 av)<br /> <br /> ===Dream Team===<br /> According to [[Richie Benaud]], former Captain of the Australian Cricket Team and since then known internationally as &quot;The Voice of Cricket&quot; (commentator, both ball-by-ball and expert opinion):<br /> <br /> ''The Opening Batsmen:''<br /> <br /> 1. Sir John Berry 'Jack' Hobbs (1882-1963) (England) - The Greatest Opener, and the first English cricket player to be [[knight|knighted]] (1953)<br /> <br /> 2. [[Sunil Gavaskar]] (India) - The Most Difficult Batsman to Dismiss, and a Fine Opener<br /> <br /> ''Middle Order Batsmen:''<br /> <br /> 3. Sir Don Bradman (Australia) - The Best Batsman to Walk the Earth, and the first cricket player to be knighted (1949)<br /> <br /> 4. Sir Viv Richards (West Indies) - The Finest Striker Of the Cricket Ball<br /> <br /> 5. Sachin Tendulkar (India) - The Greatest Batsman of the Modern Era<br /> <br /> ''All-rounders:''<br /> <br /> 6. Sir Gary Sobers (West Indies) - The Finest All-rounder of All-time<br /> <br /> 7. [[Imran Khan]] Naizi (Pakistan) - the finest Cricketer/Captain to emerge from Pakistan; picked ahead of [[Kapil Dev]], [[Ian Botham]] &amp; [[Richard Hadlee]]<br /> <br /> ''Wicket Keeper:''<br /> <br /> 8. [[Adam Gilchrist]] (Australia) - The Finest Wicket-keeper Batsman the world has ever seen<br /> <br /> ''Spinner:''<br /> <br /> 9. Shane Warne (Australia) - The Finest Leg-spin Bowler of All-time<br /> <br /> ''Fast Bowlers:''<br /> <br /> 10. [[Dennis Lillee]] (Australia) - The Best Fast Bowler ever<br /> <br /> 11. [[Sydney Barnes]] (England) - A Fast-bowling Legend<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> * [http://www.icc-cricket.com International Cricket Council]<br /> * [http://www.lords.org The Lord's ground and the Marylebone Cricket Club]<br /> * [http://www.cricket.com.au 'Cricket Australia']<br /> * [http://stats.rleague.com/tc/players/player_index.html Player statistics (index)] - by country<br /> * [http://www.championships.vbca.org.au/ Vision Australia 29th National 'Blind Cricket' Championships, 29 December 2007 - 11 January 2008]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Cricket]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Ronnie_Barker&diff=375376 2008-01-19T12:40:33Z

<p>Moronicorbit: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Ronald William George Barker''' (Bedford, Bedfordshire 25 September 1929 – Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire 3 October 2005) was a [[England|English]] [[comedian]] and [[writer]]. He is best known for performing alongside [[Ronnie Corbett]] in the ''Two Ronnies'' as well as starring in two successful [[sitcom]]s - ''Porridge'' and ''Open All Hours''.<br /> <br /> He submitted his own writings to the ''Two Ronnies'' anonymously, using the pseudonym Gerald Wiley. He was an avid collector of British sea-side postcards known for their saucy double-entendres.<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Ronnie}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Actors]]<br /> [[Category:Comedians]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cricket_(game)&diff=375002 2008-01-18T21:52:43Z

<p>Moronicorbit: /* Batsmen */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Cricket_match.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Australia vs India, Sydney Cricket Ground, January 2004. Note how the pitch being used is merely one of many that can be in various stages of preparation.]]<br /> '''Cricket''' is a bat and ball game played between two teams of eleven, normally in the local summer season. At international level, it exists primarily in two forms: Test cricket (played over five days) and one-day cricket (a shortened form of the game, with each team batting one innings of up to 50 overs). A recent innovation has been the &quot;Twenty20&quot; match (20 overs per side).<br /> <br /> Cricket is also played at provincial and county levels, and traditional matches between village and [[public house]] teams are still played in summer on the [[village green]]s of [[England]].<br /> <br /> ==International Game==<br /> The International Cricket Council (ICC) governs the game internationally, and recognises the national cricket administrations of each country. <br /> <br /> On a global scale cricket is only surpassed by [[soccer]] in terms of popularity; it is the primary spectator sport in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[West Indies]] and of major importance in England, [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and [[South Africa]], and in many other places that were historically affected by British colonial influence. Cricket has a low profile in the United States, where baseball is the dominant bat and ball sport, but it is played in various regions. (As of March 2007, the ICC rejected the recognition of the [[USA Cricket Association]] until it adopted a viable constitution and rules, and created a workable administration.) <br /> <br /> ===Code of Laws===<br /> Marylebone Cricket Club in [[London]], which operates The Lord's ground, was formed in 1787. A year later, it composed a Code of Laws that were adopted throughout the game. The MCC remains the custodian and arbiter of Laws relating to cricket around the world. <br /> <br /> ==The Pitch==<br /> <br /> Cricket is played on a [[pitch]] or green, essentially a flat [[grass]] playing field, that is 22 yards ((66 feet or 1 chain or 20.12 m) long and 10 feet wide. <br /> <br /> The pitch is marked with various lines or 'creases', and is double-ended so that alternate 'overs' are played from both ends:<br /> *One 'bowling crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch to mark the ends of the pitch. The three stumps in the set of stumps at that end of the pitch are along this crease. The bowling creases may be used to determine whether there is a 'no ball' because a fielder has encroached on the pitch or the wicket keeper has moved in front of the wicket before he is permitted to do so.<br /> *One 'popping crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps, 4 feet (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease. The popping crease is used in one test of whether the bowler has bowled a 'no ball'. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's front foot in the delivery stride (that is, the stride when he releases the ball) must be behind the popping crease (although the bowler's front foot does not have to be grounded).<br /> *A return crease is drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. The return creases are primarily used to determine whether the bowler has bowled a no ball. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's back foot in the delivery stride must land within and not touching the return crease.<br /> <br /> As imperfections in the playing surface may affect the behavior of the ball, the green is considered high maintenance as it has to be regularly rolled, watered and cut to ensure suitability for play. A [[groundskeeper]] is usually employed for this purpose. <br /> <br /> An ideal pitch has fine grass growing in the turf to retain the consistency of the pitch and to prevent cracking, yet its grass has been cut so that the underlying ground is fully exposed.<br /> <br /> An innovation in recent years has been the 'drop-in pitch', which is prepared and tended away from the field of play and then dropped into a specially constructed slot in the ground in place of normal turf. Final preparation is done after the pitch is in place.<br /> <br /> Alternatives to the grass pitch are:<br /> *Concrete topped with plastic 'grass' carpet, matting, or rubber (crushed or granulated, or a section of rubber conveyor belt);<br /> *Concrete pitch (often with green pigment, or painted green);<br /> *Clay surface, watered and rolled;<br /> <br /> ==Equipment==<br /> Cricket balls are made from [[cork]] with a [[leather]] cover. Bats are [[willow]] treated with linseed oil. <br /> <br /> The normal clothing for cricketers is white, or it may coloured for limited over matches:<br /> *long trousers;<br /> *long sleeves shirt (may be short sleeved for night matches); <br /> *stud soled shoes; and<br /> *cap or hat.<br /> <br /> A normal cricketer's cap has a small beak at the front. Members of national teams are 'capped' (given their own team cap) when they are picked for their team. In recent times, it is normal to have cricketers optionally wearing a soft, canvas, broad-brimmed hat. <br /> <br /> The batsman uses pads (shin, arm and body guards), a 'box' (a protection for the groin), and protective headgear in response to the hazards of modern fast-bowling techniques. <br /> <br /> The wicket keeper is the only fielder allowed to wear gloves, made of soft leather (imagine a cross between gardening gloves and a baseball catcher's mit.)<br /> <br /> ==Officials==<br /> Two umpires take to the field for major matches. The umpire at the bowler's end stands behind the stumps and watches the delivery stride of the bowler, the flight of the ball to adjudicate 'wide' or 'no ball' deliveries, and where it might strike the batsman or his bat. <br /> <br /> The 'leg' umpire normally stands behind the batsman (on the 'leg' side of the field) and watches the flight of the ball and any deflection from the bat, in order to assist the other umpire in making a decision about a 'wide' or 'no ball' or a catch behind the stumps.<br /> <br /> A 'third umpire' has been instituted for test and some state/county matches in recent years to decide close decisions for stumpings and run-outs, using video equipment and slow speed replays. <br /> <br /> The scorers are considered to be officials. The field umpires use a system of hand and body gestures to indicate runs scored and other matters to the scorers, who are off the field. <br /> <br /> ==Test (First Class) cricket - an overview==<br /> Test cricket is played between the national teams of two countries. Most test series are 'best of' three or five matches. Typically, various limited over matches are also played as part of the 'season', including several 'warm-up' matches to assist the visiting team to become familiar with local conditions. As each major city in a country has a premier ground, a season normally involves matches in various cities. <br /> <br /> A day's play consists of 90 overs of 6 balls (540 'legal' balls), usually divided into three 2 hour sessions with breaks for lunch and tea.<br /> <br /> ===The Ground===<br /> The size of the field of play varies widely between cricket grounds, but the '''''pitch''''' in the centre is always 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. At either end of this pitch are two sets of '''''wickets''''', consisting of three wooden posts ('''''stumps''''') upon which rest two wooden '''''bails'''''. While most 'international' grounds are of generally similar size, most matches are now played with a '''''boundary rope''''' at a standard distance from the pitch around the edge of the field inside the white picket fence fence.<br /> <br /> ===Getting Out===<br /> A batsman can be dismissed ('''''given out''''') in a number of different ways. The most common are:<br /> * '''Bowled''' – the ball hits the wicket and removes the bails direct from the bowler’s delivery, or after hitting only the batsman or his bat.<br /> * '''Caught''' – the batsman hits the ball and it is caught by the fielding side before it touches the ground.<br /> * '''LBW''' (leg before wicket) – the batsman fails to hit the ball and it strikes him in such a way that the umpire judges it would have gone on to hit the stumps. Note: This mode of dismissal depends on a number of other factors.<br /> * '''Run out''' – The fielding team get the ball to the wickets and 'breaks' the bails from the stumps while the batsman is outside the crease.<br /> * '''Stumped''' – This is a particular case of 'run out' when the wicket keeper takes the ball immediately after delivery and breaks the stumps while the batsman has been attempting a shot while ahead of his crease.<br /> <br /> ===Win, Draw, or Tie===<br /> In order to win, a team must dismiss the opposition twice (that is, take 20 wickets) and have scored more runs, within the five days. A match is a 'draw' if either team fails to dismiss the other twice, irrespective of how many runs may have been scored. A 'tie' is when the scores are level at the end of all sessions of play; no extra play is normally used to break a tie in a test match, but extra overs are played in some limited over matches.<br /> <br /> ===Batting and fielding===<br /> The batting side must always have two batsmen operating in partnership, and each member of the batting team is allowed to bat once and only once in an innings. Thus, although they have eleven players, once ten wickets have fallen they are '''''all out''''' and their '''''innings''''' is over. The batting and fielding sides then swap roles and this cycle is repeated so that both teams have two opportunities to bat.<br /> <br /> The game begins with the toss of a coin between the two captains, supervised by the field umpires. The winning captain then elects to bat or field.<br /> <br /> Two batsmen (the '''''openers''''') take to the field accompanied by the entire fielding side and two umpires. The batsman who is to receive the first ball is '''''on strike''''' and takes guard in front of his wicket. His '''''non-striking''''' partner waits at the other end of the pitch.<br /> <br /> The fielding side nominates a bowler, who has six balls (six balls = one '''''over''''') with which to dismiss the batsman. Bowlers normally bowl overarm, and must not straighten the elbow during the delivery of the ball. (Underarm delivery, similar to that used in [[Softball]], was at one time the only form of delivery. It remains in the cricket rules, but is now an oddity. A famous case of its use in an Australia-New Zealand test match resulted in derision for the Australian captain who asked a bowler to use this technique in order to stop the batting side from making a necessary run to win.) <br /> <br /> Typically, bowlers take a run up before delivering a ball. A bowler may not bowl consecutive overs, so that typically two bowlers will bowl alternative overs until the captain decides to make a switch. In theory any player may bowl, but in practice no more than five or six of the eleven will usually participate. One other member of the fielding side acts as the wicket-keeper standing directly behind the wicket to catch any missed balls, or any balls where the batsman managed only a faint touch. The remaining members of the fielding side (who are specialist batsmen) spend the entire innings fielding.<br /> <br /> ====Batting theory====<br /> Batsmen may be either left or right handed: The bat is the same for each. <br /> <br /> The batsmen can run any number of runs at any time, even if the ball has not been struck. <br /> <br /> The batsman aims to hit the ball in such a way that he and his fellow batsman can run safely to the other end and ground his bat, or a piece of his body (foot, hand, etc), within the popping crease before the fielding side can effect a run out. Hitting the ball well into the outfield causes the fielding side to chase the ball and throw it back to the wicket keeper or another player who 'backs up' at the bowling end of the pitch. <br /> <br /> Long hits to poorly defended parts of the ground may allow the batsmen to run four, or the ball may get to the fence for four. <br /> <br /> At certain times the ball is deemed to be 'dead' and the batsmen can wander safely on the pitch between the creases, for example to converse on tactics.<br /> <br /> A good batsman in the top order (batting at positions 1-6) is normally capable of getting 20-50 runs and possibly 100 or many more. The 'lower order' batsmen in a good team, normally the specialist bowlers, may be able to 'slash' 20 runs on a good day.<br /> <br /> ====Bowling theory====<br /> The bowler has two goals, which are not mutually exclusive:<br /> *get the batsmen out, as they can no longer score in that innings; and<br /> *prevent the batsman from scoring.<br /> <br /> It may seem that the bowler should always aim at the batsman's legs, which are in front of the stumps. This is normally easily defended. Hence, bowlers normally bowl a range of balls away from the stumps hoping to lure the batsman into playing a rash or mis-timed shot that goes to a catch or allows the fielders to create a run out.<br /> <br /> Bowlers come in three types: Quick, Medium, and Slow (or 'spin'). A top level team will normally have a bowling attack with two or three quick bowlers, one specialist slow (spin) bowler, and several general players capable of medium pace bowling.<br /> <br /> '''Quick''' or fast bowlers may be delivering balls travelling at 136 to 150 kmh (85 to 95 mph). The ball is intended to either:<br /> *hit the pitch on the seam (between the two halves of the leather) and thereby to bounce (un)predictably, or <br /> *swing in the air towards or away from the bat.<br /> <br /> '''Medium''' pace bowlers use similar tactics to fast bowlers but aim to create more diversity within the speed of their bowling so as to trick the batsman's timing of his swing at the ball.<br /> <br /> '''Slow''' (or '''spin''') bowlers use either wrist or finger spinning techniques to get the ball to swing in the air, or bounce markedly off the pitch in either direction, and thereby snick the bat and be caught or bounce behind the batsman's guard into the stumps.<br /> <br /> Normally, the quick bowlers will open the attack, and bowl for about two hours (or to the end of the first session.) The bowling will then be mixed up, with medium and slow, or quick-medium. At any time the captain may call for a change of bowling to 'mix up' the batsmen and seek to induce lax shots that can create an 'out'.<br /> <br /> =====Over versus around=====<br /> Whether the bowler is right or left handed, they have two options for approaching the pitch to bowl the ball. <br /> *Over the wicket: The bowler's bowling arm is nearer the stumps. (A right handed bowler passes to the left of the stumps.)<br /> *Around the wicket: The bowler typically crosses in front of the umpire who is standing back slightly, and the bowler's bowling arm is away from the stumps. (A right handed bowler crosses the mid-line of the wicket and passes the stumps to the left and behind him.)<br /> <br /> Bowlers will often change delivery direction in order land the ball in a patch of rough or cracked turf. The irregular or uneven bounce that results is intended to reduce the scoring rate or induce desperate or intemperate shots by the batsman. <br /> <br /> By changing his distance away from the stumps (while remaining within the delivery crease), the bowler can achieve a range of approach angles which, when combined with spin and delivery speed, offers the attacking side a broad range of options. <br /> <br /> While it is possible for the bowler to change deliveries at each ball, typically a whole over will be bowled using one or the other of these possible delivery methods. In any case, before the delivery, the bowler must inform the umpire who will in turn inform the batsman.<br /> <br /> =====Grip and concealment=====<br /> The bowlers are under no obligation to inform the batsman about their particular technique for delivering the ball. Bowlers have certain grips on the ball that, if the batsman is able to pick up the shape of the fist or the splay of the fingers, will give a fraction of a second's advantage in determining what shot the batsman may use, or whether to take a step down or across the wicket. <br /> <br /> Bowlers will often adopt strategies to prevent the batsman seeing the delivery hand, such as:<br /> *holding their 'off' hand over the delivery hand during their strides to the crease;<br /> *holding the ball in the 'off' hand until the last delivery stride;<br /> *cocking the hand so that the bowler sees the back of the hand and not the fingers (and their particular grip on the ball);<br /> *striding in with the delivery arm behind their body.<br /> <br /> ===Scoring===<br /> <br /> The batsman’s aim is to score '''''runs''''' whilst protecting his wicket. Generally speaking, in order to score a run, he must first hit the ball. He and his partner must then decide whether or not they can run to each other’s end of the pitch before the fielding side have time to break either wicket with the ball. They may run as many times as they are able per hit and the ''on strike'' batsman scores one run for his team each time they do so.<br /> <br /> If the ball reaches the boundary rope, the batsman automatically scores four runs. If it clears the rope without first touching the ground, it scores six runs. (If a fielder is in contact with the ball when they touch the fence/rope then it is counted as a four or six depending on whether the ball has previously touched the ground or would have carried over the fence/rope.) <br /> <br /> A 'no ball' may be called by an umpire according to various infractions by a bowler. The batting team gets one run counted to its score, and the ball is rebowled. A batsman can not be caught (out) on a no ball. Bowling infractions may include overstepping the popping crease, or delivering a ball that goes outside the return crease at the batsman's end or over the batsman's head (a wild delivery). <br /> <br /> A 'bye' is a run scored when the ball is not hit. This may occur when the ball hits the batsman's apparel (clothes or protective equipment) and is deflected off into the field of play, or when a bowler delivers a ball that the wicket keeper fails to gather up. Batsmen may either 'run' or, if the ball goes to the boundary, a 'four' may be awarded even if the batsmen have run fewer.<br /> <br /> The notation for scoring leads to a particular term, 'dot ball', as in the scoring sheet a ball that does not get a run is noted with a dot. Accordingly, an over with a single, dot, no ball, dot, three, dot, single, would be marked 1.nb.3.1 (six 'legal' deliveries) and the score has increased by 6 runs including one for the no ball.<br /> <br /> ====Example of Match Scoring====<br /> <br /> The scoring of matches, and especially the way results are presented, can sometimes be confusing. As an example, let us imagine that, at the end of the first day’s play, Sri Lanka have scored 286 runs and have lost 5 wickets. This would be written as '''286-5'''.<br /> <br /> Playing Australia, the match pans out as follows:<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 1st innings: 431<br /> * Australia – 1st innings: 390<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 2nd innings: 360<br /> <br /> Australia now need 402 runs to win. At the end of the 4th day, they find themselves 100-3 in their 2nd innings. Thus, they require 302 more runs to win on the final day with 7 wickets in hand.<br /> <br /> If Australia are bowled out for a 2nd innings total of 300, then they would have fallen short by 102. Sri Lanka would be said to have '''won by 101 runs''' (if Australia had scored exactly 401, the game would have been a tie).<br /> <br /> If, however, Australia reached their target only having lost another three wickets (402-6), they would be said to have '''won by 4 wickets'''.<br /> <br /> If at the end of the fifth day's play Australia were 350-8, they would not yet have reached their target, and Sri Lanka would not yet have taken 10 wickets. In this instance both teams would have failed to win and the game would be declared a draw. This occurrence is not uncommon.<br /> <br /> ==Other aspects of the game==<br /> ===Grounds===<br /> Grounds in different parts of one country, let along different parts of the world, play differently: Wickets in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, are renowned for being 'hard'; English wickets are 'green' (have grass obvious in the playing surface); the ground in [[Perth, Western Australia]] has a daily sea breeze in the afternoon.<br /> <br /> Then, there are oddities: <br /> *The &quot;Lord's&quot; ground, the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (established 1787) in London, has a slant of about 2.5m (8 feet) from one side of the ground to the other, so a shot made 'down the hill' typically goes further into the field than a shot made 'up the hill'.<br /> *Grounds in the West Indies and India often have hundreds of people sitting in or hanging from trees in order to get an unobstructed view.<br /> *&quot;The Gabba&quot; ground (at Woolloongabba in [[Brisbane, Queensland]]) has cantilevered spectator stands that protrude over the surrounding streets&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.onesteel.com/images/db_images/casestudies/sports17cbp.pdf Structural Steel Casebook, Issue 17, October 2000, pp4/6/8, OneSteel, accessed 5 January 2008&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ===Day and Night===<br /> Play is normally during the day, but an innovation since the 1970s has been the introduction of light towers at cricket grounds that allow play to continue through dusk and into the night.<br /> <br /> ===Sight Screen===<br /> At each end of a major cricket ground is a 'sight screen', which is of a contrasting colour to the ball; white screen for a red 'day' ball; black screen for a white 'night' ball. The screen is moved so as to be behind the bowler from the perspective of the batsman. The ball thus stands out from the background and assists the batsman in making decisions about his shot. <br /> <br /> ===Winter===<br /> Cricket grounds are of a size that allows them to be marked out during winter for playing football: [[soccer]], [[Rugby]], [[Rugby Union]], or [[Australian Rules]].<br /> <br /> Many cricketers play baseball in winter, to keep up their hand-eye coordination.<br /> <br /> ===Women's Cricket===<br /> A strong international competition exists for women playing cricket. This is based on national competitions at various levels (state/county, regional and local). <br /> <br /> ===Blind Cricket===<br /> People with vision impairment, along with fully sighted people, can play [[Blind]] Cricket. (Sighted people are fitted with special spectacles that distort their vision.)<br /> <br /> The ball is normally a white plastic ball of similar size to a cricket ball or softball, and has inside it a bell or metal pieces that make a noise as the ball moves. <br /> <br /> The bowler calls out to the batsman, &quot;Are you ready?&quot;, which allows the batsman to line up for the delivery. Similarly, the batsman's reply, or a call from the wicket keeper, allows the bowler to line up. <br /> <br /> The batsman can be got 'out' in the same ways as for sighted cricket, except that catching is not permitted. <br /> <br /> ===Duckworth-Lewis scoring===<br /> In the event that a limited over match is affected by rain or other stops to play, a system of score amendment is used developed by Mr Duckworth and Mr Lewis. This allows the umpires to calculate a new score target to win for the second side batting for any given amount of time remaining for normal play. If a game may be rain affected, it is in the interests of the first side batting to score at a rapid and even rate, so that a revised target is difficult for the following side to achieve.<br /> <br /> ==Famous Cricketers==<br /> ===Batsmen===<br /> *Dr [[W.G. Grace]] (1848-1915), English - &quot;the best-known Englishman of his time&quot;<br /> *Sir [[Donald Bradman]] (1908-2001), Australian, &quot;The Don&quot; - &quot;the greatest batsman of all time&quot; (test match average of 99.94 runs; top score 334; 29 100s &amp; 13 50s; 6,996 runs in 52 matches)<br /> *[[Sachin Tendulkar]] (1973-), Indian - &quot;the greatest One-Day International cricketer of all time&quot; (Tests: ~12,000 @ 55 av; ODI: ~16,000 @ 44 av; First Class: ~20,000 @ 59 av; List A ODI: ~19,000 @ 45 av; still playing)<br /> *Sir [[Gary Sobers]] (1936-), Barbadian - &quot;the greatest all-rounder of all time&quot;. The first player to hit six sixes in one over of first-class cricket. <br /> *Sir [[Vivian Richards|Viv Richards]] (1952-), Antigua, West Indies - &quot;the greatest ODI batsman of all time&quot; until Tendulkar (Tests: 8,540 @ 50.23 av; ODI: 6721 @ 47.00 av; First Class: 36,212 @ 49.40 av; List A ODI: 16,995 @ 41.96 av)<br /> <br /> ===Bowlers===<br /> *[[Shane Warne]] (1969-), Australian - spin bowler, &quot;cricketer of the century&quot; (Tests: 40,704 balls for 708 wickets @ 25.41 balls/wicket; ODI: 10,642 for 293 @ 25.73 av; First Class: 74,830 for 1,319 @ 26.11 av; List A ODI: 16,419 for 473 @ 24.61 av; retired 2007)<br /> *[[Muttiah Muralitharan]] (1972-), Sri Lankan - spin bowler, &quot;the greatest Test match bowler ever&quot; (still playing; as at December 2007 - Tests: 39,202 balls for 723 wickets @ 21.77 balls/wicket; ODI: 16,094 for 455 @ 22.68 av; First Class: 62,096 for 1,297 @ 18.93 av; List A ODI: 20,095 for 575 @ 22.97 av)<br /> *[[Glenn McGrath]] (1970-), Australian - quick bowler, &quot;holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler&quot; (Retired from test cricket 2007; still playing demonstration matches; as at August 2007 - Tests: 29248 balls for 563 wickets @ 21.64 balls/wicket; ODI: 12970 for 381 @ 22.02 av; First Class: 41759 for 835 @ 20.85 av; List A ODI: 15808 for 463 @ 21.60 av)<br /> <br /> ===Dream Team===<br /> According to [[Richie Benaud]], former Captain of the Australian Cricket Team and since then known internationally as &quot;The Voice of Cricket&quot; (commentator, both ball-by-ball and expert opinion):<br /> <br /> ''The Opening Batsmen:''<br /> <br /> 1. Sir John Berry 'Jack' Hobbs (1882-1963) (England) - The Greatest Opener, and the first English cricket player to be [[knight|knighted]] (1953)<br /> <br /> 2. [[Sunil Gavaskar]] (India) - The Most Difficult Batsman to Dismiss, and a Fine Opener<br /> <br /> ''Middle Order Batsmen:''<br /> <br /> 3. Sir Don Bradman (Australia) - The Best Batsman to Walk the Earth, and the first cricket player to be knighted (1949)<br /> <br /> 4. Sir Viv Richards (West Indies) - The Finest Striker Of the Cricket Ball<br /> <br /> 5. Sachin Tendulkar (India) - The Greatest Batsman of the Modern Era<br /> <br /> ''All-rounders:''<br /> <br /> 6. Sir Gary Sobers (West Indies) - The Finest All-rounder of All-time<br /> <br /> 7. [[Imran Khan]] Naizi (Pakistan) - the finest Cricketer/Captain to emerge from Pakistan; picked ahead of [[Kapil Dev]], [[Ian Botham]] &amp; [[Richard Hadlee]]<br /> <br /> ''Wicket Keeper:''<br /> <br /> 8. [[Adam Gilchrist]] (Australia) - The Finest Wicket-keeper Batsman the world has ever seen<br /> <br /> ''Spinner:''<br /> <br /> 9. Shane Warne (Australia) - The Finest Leg-spin Bowler of All-time<br /> <br /> ''Fast Bowlers:''<br /> <br /> 10. [[Dennis Lillee]] (Australia) - The Best Fast Bowler ever<br /> <br /> 11. [[Sydney Barnes]] (England) - A Fast-bowling Legend<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> * [http://www.icc-cricket.com International Cricket Council]<br /> * [http://www.lords.org The Lord's ground and the Marylebone Cricket Club]<br /> * [http://www.cricket.com.au 'Cricket Australia']<br /> * [http://stats.rleague.com/tc/players/player_index.html Player statistics (index)] - by country<br /> * [http://www.championships.vbca.org.au/ Vision Australia 29th National 'Blind Cricket' Championships, 29 December 2007 - 11 January 2008]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Cricket]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cricket_(game)&diff=374395 2008-01-18T12:09:17Z

<p>Moronicorbit: /* Batsmen */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Cricket_match.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Australia vs India, Sydney Cricket Ground, January 2004. Note how the pitch being used is merely one of many that can be in various stages of preparation.]]<br /> '''Cricket''' is a bat and ball game played between two teams of eleven, normally in the local summer season. At international level, it exists primarily in two forms: Test cricket (played over five days) and one-day cricket (a shortened form of the game, with each team batting one innings of up to 50 overs). A recent innovation has been the &quot;Twenty20&quot; match (20 overs per side).<br /> <br /> Cricket is also played at provincial and county levels, and traditional matches between village and [[public house]] teams are still played in summer on the [[village green]]s of [[England]].<br /> <br /> ==International Game==<br /> The International Cricket Council (ICC) governs the game internationally, and recognises the national cricket administrations of each country. <br /> <br /> On a global scale cricket is only surpassed by [[soccer]] in terms of popularity; it is the primary spectator sport in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[West Indies]] and of major importance in England, [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and [[South Africa]], and in many other places that were historically affected by British colonial influence. Cricket has a low profile in the United States, where baseball is the dominant bat and ball sport, but it is played in various regions. (As of March 2007, the ICC rejected the recognition of the [[USA Cricket Association]] until it adopted a viable constitution and rules, and created a workable administration.) <br /> <br /> ===Code of Laws===<br /> Marylebone Cricket Club in [[London]], which operates The Lord's ground, was formed in 1787. A year later, it composed a Code of Laws that were adopted throughout the game. The MCC remains the custodian and arbiter of Laws relating to cricket around the world. <br /> <br /> ==The Pitch==<br /> <br /> Cricket is played on a [[pitch]] or green, essentially a flat [[grass]] playing field, that is 22 yards ((66 feet or 1 chain or 20.12 m) long and 10 feet wide. <br /> <br /> The pitch is marked with various lines or 'creases', and is double-ended so that alternate 'overs' are played from both ends:<br /> *One 'bowling crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch to mark the ends of the pitch. The three stumps in the set of stumps at that end of the pitch are along this crease. The bowling creases may be used to determine whether there is a 'no ball' because a fielder has encroached on the pitch or the wicket keeper has moved in front of the wicket before he is permitted to do so.<br /> *One 'popping crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps, 4 feet (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease. The popping crease is used in one test of whether the bowler has bowled a 'no ball'. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's front foot in the delivery stride (that is, the stride when he releases the ball) must be behind the popping crease (although the bowler's front foot does not have to be grounded).<br /> *A return crease is drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. The return creases are primarily used to determine whether the bowler has bowled a no ball. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's back foot in the delivery stride must land within and not touching the return crease.<br /> <br /> As imperfections in the playing surface may affect the behavior of the ball, the green is considered high maintenance as it has to be regularly rolled, watered and cut to ensure suitability for play. A [[groundskeeper]] is usually employed for this purpose. <br /> <br /> An ideal pitch has fine grass growing in the turf to retain the consistency of the pitch and to prevent cracking, yet its grass has been cut so that the underlying ground is fully exposed.<br /> <br /> An innovation in recent years has been the 'drop-in pitch', which is prepared and tended away from the field of play and then dropped into a specially constructed slot in the ground in place of normal turf. Final preparation is done after the pitch is in place.<br /> <br /> Alternatives to the grass pitch are:<br /> *Concrete topped with plastic 'grass' carpet, matting, or rubber (crushed or granulated, or a section of rubber conveyor belt);<br /> *Concrete pitch (often with green pigment, or painted green);<br /> *Clay surface, watered and rolled;<br /> <br /> ==Equipment==<br /> Cricket balls are made from [[cork]] with a [[leather]] cover. Bats are [[willow]] treated with linseed oil. <br /> <br /> The normal clothing for cricketers is white, or it may coloured for limited over matches:<br /> *long trousers;<br /> *long sleeves shirt (may be short sleeved for night matches); <br /> *stud soled shoes; and<br /> *cap or hat.<br /> <br /> A normal cricketer's cap has a small beak at the front. Members of national teams are 'capped' (given their own team cap) when they are picked for their team. In recent times, it is normal to have cricketers optionally wearing a soft, canvas, broad-brimmed hat. <br /> <br /> The batsman uses pads (shin, arm and body guards), a 'box' (a protection for the groin), and protective headgear in response to the hazards of modern fast-bowling techniques. <br /> <br /> The wicket keeper is the only fielder allowed to wear gloves, made of soft leather (imagine a cross between gardening gloves and a baseball catcher's mit.)<br /> <br /> ==Officials==<br /> Two umpires take to the field for major matches. The umpire at the bowler's end stands behind the stumps and watches the delivery stride of the bowler, the flight of the ball to adjudicate 'wide' or 'no ball' deliveries, and where it might strike the batsman or his bat. <br /> <br /> The 'leg' umpire normally stands behind the batsman (on the 'leg' side of the field) and watches the flight of the ball and any deflection from the bat, in order to assist the other umpire in making a decision about a 'wide' or 'no ball' or a catch behind the stumps.<br /> <br /> A 'third umpire' has been instituted for test and some state/county matches in recent years to decide close decisions for stumpings and run-outs, using video equipment and slow speed replays. <br /> <br /> The scorers are considered to be officials. The field umpires use a system of hand and body gestures to indicate runs scored and other matters to the scorers, who are off the field. <br /> <br /> ==Test (First Class) cricket - an overview==<br /> Test cricket is played between the national teams of two countries. Most test series are 'best of' three or five matches. Typically, various limited over matches are also played as part of the 'season', including several 'warm-up' matches to assist the visiting team to become familiar with local conditions. As each major city in a country has a premier ground, a season normally involves matches in various cities. <br /> <br /> A day's play consists of 90 overs of 6 balls (540 'legal' balls), usually divided into three 2 hour sessions with breaks for lunch and tea.<br /> <br /> ===The Ground===<br /> The size of the field of play varies widely between cricket grounds, but the '''''pitch''''' in the centre is always 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. At either end of this pitch are two sets of '''''wickets''''', consisting of three wooden posts ('''''stumps''''') upon which rest two wooden '''''bails'''''. While most 'international' grounds are of generally similar size, most matches are now played with a '''''boundary rope''''' at a standard distance from the pitch around the edge of the field inside the white picket fence fence.<br /> <br /> ===Getting Out===<br /> A batsman can be dismissed ('''''given out''''') in a number of different ways. The most common are:<br /> * '''Bowled''' – the ball hits the wicket and removes the bails direct from the bowler’s delivery, or after hitting only the batsman or his bat.<br /> * '''Caught''' – the batsman hits the ball and it is caught by the fielding side before it touches the ground.<br /> * '''LBW''' (leg before wicket) – the batsman fails to hit the ball and it strikes him in such a way that the umpire judges it would have gone on to hit the stumps. Note: This mode of dismissal depends on a number of other factors.<br /> * '''Run out''' – The fielding team get the ball to the wickets and 'breaks' the bails from the stumps while the batsman is outside the crease.<br /> * '''Stumped''' – This is a particular case of 'run out' when the wicket keeper takes the ball immediately after delivery and breaks the stumps while the batsman has been attempting a shot while ahead of his crease.<br /> <br /> ===Win, Draw, or Tie===<br /> In order to win, a team must dismiss the opposition twice (that is, take 20 wickets) and have scored more runs, within the five days. A match is a 'draw' if either team fails to dismiss the other twice, irrespective of how many runs may have been scored. A 'tie' is when the scores are level at the end of all sessions of play; no extra play is normally used to break a tie in a test match, but extra overs are played in some limited over matches.<br /> <br /> ===Batting and fielding===<br /> The batting side must always have two batsmen operating in partnership, and each member of the batting team is allowed to bat once and only once in an innings. Thus, although they have eleven players, once ten wickets have fallen they are '''''all out''''' and their '''''innings''''' is over. The batting and fielding sides then swap roles and this cycle is repeated so that both teams have two opportunities to bat.<br /> <br /> The game begins with the toss of a coin between the two captains, supervised by the field umpires. The winning captain then elects to bat or field.<br /> <br /> Two batsmen (the '''''openers''''') take to the field accompanied by the entire fielding side and two umpires. The batsman who is to receive the first ball is '''''on strike''''' and takes guard in front of his wicket. His '''''non-striking''''' partner waits at the other end of the pitch.<br /> <br /> The fielding side nominates a bowler, who has six balls (six balls = one '''''over''''') with which to dismiss the batsman. Bowlers normally bowl overarm, and must not straighten the elbow during the delivery of the ball. (Underarm delivery, similar to that used in [[Softball]], was at one time the only form of delivery. It remains in the cricket rules, but is now an oddity. A famous case of its use in an Australia-New Zealand test match resulted in derision for the Australian captain who asked a bowler to use this technique in order to stop the batting side from making a necessary run to win.) <br /> <br /> Typically, bowlers take a run up before delivering a ball. A bowler may not bowl consecutive overs, so that typically two bowlers will bowl alternative overs until the captain decides to make a switch. In theory any player may bowl, but in practice no more than five or six of the eleven will usually participate. One other member of the fielding side acts as the wicket-keeper standing directly behind the wicket to catch any missed balls, or any balls where the batsman managed only a faint touch. The remaining members of the fielding side (who are specialist batsmen) spend the entire innings fielding.<br /> <br /> ====Batting theory====<br /> Batsmen may be either left or right handed: The bat is the same for each. <br /> <br /> The batsmen can run any number of runs at any time, even if the ball has not been struck. <br /> <br /> The batsman aims to hit the ball in such a way that he and his fellow batsman can run safely to the other end and ground his bat, or a piece of his body (foot, hand, etc), within the popping crease before the fielding side can effect a run out. Hitting the ball well into the outfield causes the fielding side to chase the ball and throw it back to the wicket keeper or another player who 'backs up' at the bowling end of the pitch. <br /> <br /> Long hits to poorly defended parts of the ground may allow the batsmen to run four, or the ball may get to the fence for four. <br /> <br /> At certain times the ball is deemed to be 'dead' and the batsmen can wander safely on the pitch between the creases, for example to converse on tactics.<br /> <br /> A good batsman in the top order (batting at positions 1-6) is normally capable of getting 20-50 runs and possibly 100 or many more. The 'lower order' batsmen in a good team, normally the specialist bowlers, may be able to 'slash' 20 runs on a good day.<br /> <br /> ====Bowling theory====<br /> The bowler has two goals, which are not mutually exclusive:<br /> *get the batsmen out, as they can no longer score in that innings; and<br /> *prevent the batsman from scoring.<br /> <br /> It may seem that the bowler should always aim at the batsman's legs, which are in front of the stumps. This is normally easily defended. Hence, bowlers normally bowl a range of balls away from the stumps hoping to lure the batsman into playing a rash or mis-timed shot that goes to a catch or allows the fielders to create a run out.<br /> <br /> Bowlers come in three types: Quick, Medium, and Slow (or 'spin'). A top level team will normally have a bowling attack with two or three quick bowlers, one specialist slow (spin) bowler, and several general players capable of medium pace bowling.<br /> <br /> '''Quick''' or fast bowlers may be delivering balls travelling at 136 to 150 kmh (85 to 95 mph). The ball is intended to either:<br /> *hit the pitch on the seam (between the two halves of the leather) and thereby to bounce (un)predictably, or <br /> *swing in the air towards or away from the bat.<br /> <br /> '''Medium''' pace bowlers use similar tactics to fast bowlers but aim to create more diversity within the speed of their bowling so as to trick the batsman's timing of his swing at the ball.<br /> <br /> '''Slow''' (or '''spin''') bowlers use either wrist or finger spinning techniques to get the ball to swing in the air, or bounce markedly off the pitch in either direction, and thereby snick the bat and be caught or bounce behind the batsman's guard into the stumps.<br /> <br /> Normally, the quick bowlers will open the attack, and bowl for about two hours (or to the end of the first session.) The bowling will then be mixed up, with medium and slow, or quick-medium. At any time the captain may call for a change of bowling to 'mix up' the batsmen and seek to induce lax shots that can create an 'out'.<br /> <br /> =====Over versus around=====<br /> Whether the bowler is right or left handed, they have two options for approaching the pitch to bowl the ball. <br /> *Over the wicket: The bowler's bowling arm is nearer the stumps. (A right handed bowler passes to the left of the stumps.)<br /> *Around the wicket: The bowler typically crosses in front of the umpire who is standing back slightly, and the bowler's bowling arm is away from the stumps. (A right handed bowler crosses the mid-line of the wicket and passes the stumps to the left and behind him.)<br /> <br /> Bowlers will often change delivery direction in order land the ball in a patch of rough or cracked turf. The irregular or uneven bounce that results is intended to reduce the scoring rate or induce desperate or intemperate shots by the batsman. <br /> <br /> By changing his distance away from the stumps (while remaining within the delivery crease), the bowler can achieve a range of approach angles which, when combined with spin and delivery speed, offers the attacking side a broad range of options. <br /> <br /> While it is possible for the bowler to change deliveries at each ball, typically a whole over will be bowled using one or the other of these possible delivery methods. In any case, before the delivery, the bowler must inform the umpire who will in turn inform the batsman.<br /> <br /> =====Grip and concealment=====<br /> The bowlers are under no obligation to inform the batsman about their particular technique for delivering the ball. Bowlers have certain grips on the ball that, if the batsman is able to pick up the shape of the fist or the splay of the fingers, will give a fraction of a second's advantage in determining what shot the batsman may use, or whether to take a step down or across the wicket. <br /> <br /> Bowlers will often adopt strategies to prevent the batsman seeing the delivery hand, such as:<br /> *holding their 'off' hand over the delivery hand during their strides to the crease;<br /> *holding the ball in the 'off' hand until the last delivery stride;<br /> *cocking the hand so that the bowler sees the back of the hand and not the fingers (and their particular grip on the ball);<br /> *striding in with the delivery arm behind their body.<br /> <br /> ===Scoring===<br /> <br /> The batsman’s aim is to score '''''runs''''' whilst protecting his wicket. Generally speaking, in order to score a run, he must first hit the ball. He and his partner must then decide whether or not they can run to each other’s end of the pitch before the fielding side have time to break either wicket with the ball. They may run as many times as they are able per hit and the ''on strike'' batsman scores one run for his team each time they do so.<br /> <br /> If the ball reaches the boundary rope, the batsman automatically scores four runs. If it clears the rope without first touching the ground, it scores six runs. (If a fielder is in contact with the ball when they touch the fence/rope then it is counted as a four or six depending on whether the ball has previously touched the ground or would have carried over the fence/rope.) <br /> <br /> A 'no ball' may be called by an umpire according to various infractions by a bowler. The batting team gets one run counted to its score, and the ball is rebowled. A batsman can not be caught (out) on a no ball. Bowling infractions may include overstepping the popping crease, or delivering a ball that goes outside the return crease at the batsman's end or over the batsman's head (a wild delivery). <br /> <br /> A 'bye' is a run scored when the ball is not hit. This may occur when the ball hits the batsman's apparel (clothes or protective equipment) and is deflected off into the field of play, or when a bowler delivers a ball that the wicket keeper fails to gather up. Batsmen may either 'run' or, if the ball goes to the boundary, a 'four' may be awarded even if the batsmen have run fewer.<br /> <br /> The notation for scoring leads to a particular term, 'dot ball', as in the scoring sheet a ball that does not get a run is noted with a dot. Accordingly, an over with a single, dot, no ball, dot, three, dot, single, would be marked 1.nb.3.1 (six 'legal' deliveries) and the score has increased by 6 runs including one for the no ball.<br /> <br /> ====Example of Match Scoring====<br /> <br /> The scoring of matches, and especially the way results are presented, can sometimes be confusing. As an example, let us imagine that, at the end of the first day’s play, Sri Lanka have scored 286 runs and have lost 5 wickets. This would be written as '''286-5'''.<br /> <br /> Playing Australia, the match pans out as follows:<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 1st innings: 431<br /> * Australia – 1st innings: 390<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 2nd innings: 360<br /> <br /> Australia now need 402 runs to win. At the end of the 4th day, they find themselves 100-3 in their 2nd innings. Thus, they require 302 more runs to win on the final day with 7 wickets in hand.<br /> <br /> If Australia are bowled out for a 2nd innings total of 300, then they would have fallen short by 102. Sri Lanka would be said to have '''won by 101 runs''' (if Australia had scored exactly 401, the game would have been a tie).<br /> <br /> If, however, Australia reached their target only having lost another three wickets (402-6), they would be said to have '''won by 4 wickets'''.<br /> <br /> If at the end of the fifth day's play Australia were 350-8, they would not yet have reached their target, and Sri Lanka would not yet have taken 10 wickets. In this instance both teams would have failed to win and the game would be declared a draw. This occurrence is not uncommon.<br /> <br /> ==Other aspects of the game==<br /> ===Grounds===<br /> Grounds in different parts of one country, let along different parts of the world, play differently: Wickets in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, are renowned for being 'hard'; English wickets are 'green' (have grass obvious in the playing surface); the ground in [[Perth, Western Australia]] has a daily sea breeze in the afternoon.<br /> <br /> Then, there are oddities: <br /> *The &quot;Lord's&quot; ground, the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (established 1787) in London, has a slant of about 2.5m (8 feet) from one side of the ground to the other, so a shot made 'down the hill' typically goes further into the field than a shot made 'up the hill'.<br /> *Grounds in the West Indies and India often have hundreds of people sitting in or hanging from trees in order to get an unobstructed view.<br /> *&quot;The Gabba&quot; ground (at Woolloongabba in [[Brisbane, Queensland]]) has cantilevered spectator stands that protrude over the surrounding streets&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.onesteel.com/images/db_images/casestudies/sports17cbp.pdf Structural Steel Casebook, Issue 17, October 2000, pp4/6/8, OneSteel, accessed 5 January 2008&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ===Day and Night===<br /> Play is normally during the day, but an innovation since the 1970s has been the introduction of light towers at cricket grounds that allow play to continue through dusk and into the night.<br /> <br /> ===Sight Screen===<br /> At each end of a major cricket ground is a 'sight screen', which is of a contrasting colour to the ball; white screen for a red 'day' ball; black screen for a white 'night' ball. The screen is moved so as to be behind the bowler from the perspective of the batsman. The ball thus stands out from the background and assists the batsman in making decisions about his shot. <br /> <br /> ===Winter===<br /> Cricket grounds are of a size that allows them to be marked out during winter for playing football: [[soccer]], [[Rugby]], [[Rugby Union]], or [[Australian Rules]].<br /> <br /> Many cricketers play baseball in winter, to keep up their hand-eye coordination.<br /> <br /> ===Women's Cricket===<br /> A strong international competition exists for women playing cricket. This is based on national competitions at various levels (state/county, regional and local). <br /> <br /> ===Blind Cricket===<br /> People with vision impairment, along with fully sighted people, can play [[Blind]] Cricket. (Sighted people are fitted with special spectacles that distort their vision.)<br /> <br /> The ball is normally a white plastic ball of similar size to a cricket ball or softball, and has inside it a bell or metal pieces that make a noise as the ball moves. <br /> <br /> The bowler calls out to the batsman, &quot;Are you ready?&quot;, which allows the batsman to line up for the delivery. Similarly, the batsman's reply, or a call from the wicket keeper, allows the bowler to line up. <br /> <br /> The batsman can be got 'out' in the same ways as for sighted cricket, except that catching is not permitted. <br /> <br /> ===Duckworth-Lewis scoring===<br /> In the event that a limited over match is affected by rain or other stops to play, a system of score amendment is used developed by Mr Duckworth and Mr Lewis. This allows the umpires to calculate a new score target to win for the second side batting for any given amount of time remaining for normal play. If a game may be rain affected, it is in the interests of the first side batting to score at a rapid and even rate, so that a revised target is difficult for the following side to achieve.<br /> <br /> ==Famous Cricketers==<br /> ===Batsmen===<br /> *Dr [[W.G. Grace]] (1848-1915), English - &quot;the best-known Englishman of his time&quot;<br /> *Sir [[Donald Bradman]] (1908-2001), Australian - &quot;the greatest batsman of all time&quot; (test match average of 99.94 runs; top score 334; 29 100s &amp; 13 50s; 6,996 runs in 52 matches)<br /> *[[Sachin Tendulkar]] (1973-), Indian - &quot;the greatest One-Day International cricketer of all time&quot; (Tests: ~12,000 @ 55 av; ODI: ~16,000 @ 44 av; First Class: ~20,000 @ 59 av; List A ODI: ~19,000 @ 45 av; still playing)<br /> *Sir [[Gary Sobers|Garfield Sobers]] (1936-), Barbadian - &quot;the greatest all-rounder of all time&quot;. The first player to hit six sixes in one over of first-class cricket. <br /> *Sir [[Vivian Richards|Viv Richards]] (1952-), Antigua, West Indies - &quot;the greatest ODI batsman of all time&quot; until Tendulkar (Tests: 8,540 @ 50.23 av; ODI: 6721 @ 47.00 av; First Class: 36,212 @ 49.40 av; List A ODI: 16,995 @ 41.96 av)<br /> <br /> ===Bowlers===<br /> *[[Shane Warne]] (1969-), Australian - spin bowler, &quot;cricketer of the century&quot; (Tests: 40,704 balls for 708 wickets @ 25.41 balls/wicket; ODI: 10,642 for 293 @ 25.73 av; First Class: 74,830 for 1,319 @ 26.11 av; List A ODI: 16,419 for 473 @ 24.61 av; retired 2007)<br /> *[[Muttiah Muralitharan]] (1972-), Sri Lankan - spin bowler, &quot;the greatest Test match bowler ever&quot; (still playing; as at December 2007 - Tests: 39,202 balls for 723 wickets @ 21.77 balls/wicket; ODI: 16,094 for 455 @ 22.68 av; First Class: 62,096 for 1,297 @ 18.93 av; List A ODI: 20,095 for 575 @ 22.97 av)<br /> *[[Glenn McGrath]] (1970-), Australian - quick bowler, &quot;holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler&quot; (Retired from test cricket 2007; still playing demonstration matches; as at August 2007 - Tests: 29248 balls for 563 wickets @ 21.64 balls/wicket; ODI: 12970 for 381 @ 22.02 av; First Class: 41759 for 835 @ 20.85 av; List A ODI: 15808 for 463 @ 21.60 av)<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> * [http://www.icc-cricket.com International Cricket Council]<br /> * [http://www.lords.org The Lord's ground and the Marylebone Cricket Club]<br /> * [http://www.cricket.com.au 'Cricket Australia']<br /> * [http://www.championships.vbca.org.au/ Vision Australia 29th National 'Blind Cricket' Championships, 29 December 2007 - 11 January 2008]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Cricket]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cricket_(game)&diff=365435 2008-01-06T16:25:21Z

<p>Moronicorbit: /* Batsmen */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Cricket_match.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Australia vs India, Sydney Cricket Ground, January 2004. Note how the pitch being used is merely one of many that can be in various stages of preparation.]]<br /> '''Cricket''' is a bat and ball game played between two teams of eleven, normally in the local summer season. At international level, it exists primarily in two forms: Test cricket (played over five days) and one-day cricket (a shortened form of the game, with each team batting one innings of up to 50 overs). A recent innovation has been the &quot;Twenty20&quot; match (20 overs per side).<br /> <br /> Cricket is also played at provincial and county levels, and traditional matches between village and [[public house]] teams are still played in summer on the [[village green]]s of [[England]].<br /> <br /> ==International Game==<br /> The International Cricket Council (ICC) governs the game internationally, and recognises the national cricket administrations of each country. <br /> <br /> On a global scale cricket is only surpassed by [[soccer]] in terms of popularity; it is the primary spectator sport in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[West Indies]] and of major importance in England, [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and [[South Africa]], and in many other places that were historically affected by British colonial influence. Cricket has a low profile in the United States, where baseball is the dominant bat and ball sport, but it is played in various regions. (As of March 2007, the ICC rejected the recognition of the [[USA Cricket Association]] until it adopted a viable constitution and rules, and created a workable administration.) <br /> <br /> ===Code of Laws===<br /> Marylebone Cricket Club in [[London]], which operates The Lord's ground, was formed in 1787. A year later, it composed a Code of Laws that were adopted throughout the game. The MCC remains the custodian and arbiter of Laws relating to cricket around the world. <br /> <br /> ==The Pitch==<br /> <br /> Cricket is played on a [[pitch]] or green, essentially a flat [[grass]] playing field, that is 22 yards ((66 feet or 1 chain or 20.12 m) long and 10 feet wide. <br /> <br /> The pitch is marked with various lines or 'creases', and is double-ended so that alternate 'overs' are played from both ends:<br /> *One 'bowling crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch to mark the ends of the pitch. The three stumps in the set of stumps at that end of the pitch are along this crease. The bowling creases may be used to determine whether there is a 'no ball' because a fielder has encroached on the pitch or the wicket keeper has moved in front of the wicket before he is permitted to do so.<br /> *One 'popping crease' is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps, 4 feet (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease. The popping crease is used in one test of whether the bowler has bowled a 'no ball'. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's front foot in the delivery stride (that is, the stride when he releases the ball) must be behind the popping crease (although the bowler's front foot does not have to be grounded).<br /> *A return crease is drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. The return creases are primarily used to determine whether the bowler has bowled a no ball. To avoid a no ball, some part of the bowler's back foot in the delivery stride must land within and not touching the return crease.<br /> <br /> As imperfections in the playing surface may affect the behavior of the ball, the green is considered high maintenance as it has to be regularly rolled, watered and cut to ensure suitability for play. A [[groundskeeper]] is usually employed for this purpose. <br /> <br /> An ideal pitch has fine grass growing in the turf to retain the consistency of the pitch and to prevent cracking, yet its grass has been cut so that the underlying ground is fully exposed.<br /> <br /> An innovation in recent years has been the 'drop-in pitch', which is prepared and tended away from the field of play and then dropped into a specially constructed slot in the ground in place of normal turf. Final preparation is done after the pitch is in place.<br /> <br /> Alternatives to the grass pitch are:<br /> *Concrete topped with plastic 'grass' carpet, matting, or rubber (crushed or granulated, or a section of rubber conveyor belt);<br /> *Concrete pitch (often with green pigment, or painted green);<br /> *Clay surface, watered and rolled;<br /> <br /> ==Equipment==<br /> Cricket balls are made from [[cork]] with a [[leather]] cover. Bats are [[willow]] treated with linseed oil. <br /> <br /> The normal clothing for cricketers is white, or it may coloured for limited over matches:<br /> *long trousers;<br /> *long sleeves shirt (may be short sleeved for night matches); <br /> *stud soled shoes; and<br /> *cap or hat.<br /> <br /> A normal cricketer's cap has a small beak at the front. Members of national teams are 'capped' (given their own team cap) when they are picked for their team. In recent times, it is normal to have cricketers optionally wearing a soft, canvas, broad-brimmed hat. <br /> <br /> The batsman uses pads (shin, arm and body guards), a 'box' (a protection for the groin), and protective headgear in response to the hazards of modern fast-bowling techniques. <br /> <br /> The wicket keeper is the only fielder allowed to wear gloves, made of soft leather (imagine a cross between gardening gloves and a baseball catcher's mit.)<br /> <br /> ==Officials==<br /> Two umpires take to the field for major matches. The umpire at the bowler's end stands behind the stumps and watches the delivery stride of the bowler, the flight of the ball to adjudicate 'wide' or 'no ball' deliveries, and where it might strike the batsman or his bat. <br /> <br /> The 'leg' umpire normally stands behind the batsman (on the 'leg' side of the field) and watches the flight of the ball and any deflection from the bat, in order to assist the other umpire in making a decision about a 'wide' or 'no ball' or a catch behind the stumps.<br /> <br /> A 'third umpire' has been instituted for test and some state/county matches in recent years to decide close decisions for stumpings and run-outs, using video equipment and slow speed replays. <br /> <br /> The scorers are considered to be officials. The field umpires use a system of hand and body gestures to indicate runs scored and other matters to the scorers, who are off the field. <br /> <br /> ==Test (First Class) cricket - an overview==<br /> Test cricket is played between the national teams of two countries. Most test series are 'best of' three or five matches. Typically, various limited over matches are also played as part of the 'season', including several 'warm-up' matches to assist the visiting team to become familiar with local conditions. As each major city in a country has a premier ground, a season normally involves matches in various cities. <br /> <br /> A day's play consists of 90 overs of 6 balls (540 'legal' balls), usually divided into three 2 hour sessions with breaks for lunch and tea.<br /> <br /> ===The Ground===<br /> The size of the field of play varies widely between cricket grounds, but the '''''pitch''''' in the centre is always 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. At either end of this pitch are two sets of '''''wickets''''', consisting of three wooden posts ('''''stumps''''') upon which rest two wooden '''''bails'''''. While most 'international' grounds are of generally similar size, most matches are now played with a '''''boundary rope''''' at a standard distance from the pitch around the edge of the field inside the white picket fence fence.<br /> <br /> ===Getting Out===<br /> A batsman can be dismissed ('''''given out''''') in a number of different ways. The most common are:<br /> * '''Bowled''' – the ball hits the wicket and removes the bails direct from the bowler’s delivery, or after hitting only the batsman or his bat.<br /> * '''Caught''' – the batsman hits the ball and it is caught by the fielding side before it touches the ground.<br /> * '''LBW''' (leg before wicket) – the batsman fails to hit the ball and it strikes him in such a way that the umpire judges it would have gone on to hit the stumps. Note: This mode of dismissal depends on a number of other factors.<br /> * '''Run out''' – The fielding team get the ball to the wickets and 'breaks' the bails from the stumps while the batsman is outside the crease.<br /> * '''Stumped''' – This is a particular case of 'run out' when the wicket keeper takes the ball immediately after delivery and breaks the stumps while the batsman has been attempting a shot while ahead of his crease.<br /> <br /> ===Win, Draw, or Tie===<br /> In order to win, a team must dismiss the opposition twice (that is, take 20 wickets) and have scored more runs, within the five days. A match is a 'draw' if either team fails to dismiss the other twice, irrespective of how many runs may have been scored. A 'tie' is when the scores are level at the end of all sessions of play; no extra play is normally used to break a tie in a test match, but extra overs are played in some limited over matches.<br /> <br /> ===Batting and fielding===<br /> The batting side must always have two batsmen operating in partnership, and each member of the batting team is allowed to bat once and only once in an innings. Thus, although they have eleven players, once ten wickets have fallen they are '''''all out''''' and their '''''innings''''' is over. The batting and fielding sides then swap roles and this cycle is repeated so that both teams have two opportunities to bat.<br /> <br /> The game begins with the toss of a coin between the two captains, supervised by the field umpires. The winning captain then elects to bat or field.<br /> <br /> Two batsmen (the '''''openers''''') take to the field accompanied by the entire fielding side and two umpires. The batsman who is to receive the first ball is '''''on strike''''' and takes guard in front of his wicket. His '''''non-striking''''' partner waits at the other end of the pitch.<br /> <br /> The fielding side nominates a bowler, who has six balls (six balls = one '''''over''''') with which to dismiss the batsman. Bowlers normally bowl overarm, and must not straighten the elbow during the delivery of the ball. (Underarm delivery, similar to that used in [[Softball]], was at one time the only form of delivery. It remains in the cricket rules, but is now an oddity. A famous case of its use in an Australia-New Zealand test match resulted in derision for the Australian captain who asked a bowler to use this technique in order to stop the batting side from making a necessary run to win.) <br /> <br /> Typically, bowlers take a run up before delivering a ball. A bowler may not bowl consecutive overs, so that typically two bowlers will bowl alternative overs until the captain decides to make a switch. In theory any player may bowl, but in practice no more than five or six of the eleven will usually participate. One other member of the fielding side acts as the wicket-keeper standing directly behind the wicket to catch any missed balls, or any balls where the batsman managed only a faint touch. The remaining members of the fielding side (who are specialist batsmen) spend the entire innings fielding.<br /> <br /> ====Batting theory====<br /> Batsmen may be either left or right handed: The bat is the same for each. <br /> <br /> The batsmen can run any number of runs at any time, even if the ball has not been struck. <br /> <br /> The batsman aims to hit the ball in such a way that he and his fellow batsman can run safely to the other end and ground his bat, or a piece of his body (foot, hand, etc), within the popping crease before the fielding side can effect a run out. Hitting the ball well into the outfield causes the fielding side to chase the ball and throw it back to the wicket keeper or another player who 'backs up' at the bowling end of the pitch. <br /> <br /> Long hits to poorly defended parts of the ground may allow the batsmen to run four, or the ball may get to the fence for four. <br /> <br /> At certain times the ball is deemed to be 'dead' and the batsmen can wander safely on the pitch between the creases, for example to converse on tactics.<br /> <br /> A good batsman in the top order (batting at positions 1-6) is normally capable of getting 20-50 runs and possibly 100 or many more. The 'lower order' batsmen in a good team, normally the specialist bowlers, may be able to 'slash' 20 runs on a good day.<br /> <br /> ====Bowling theory====<br /> The bowler has two goals, which are not mutually exclusive:<br /> *get the batsmen out, as they can no longer score in that innings; and<br /> *prevent the batsman from scoring.<br /> <br /> It may seem that the bowler should always aim at the batsman's legs, which are in front of the stumps. This is normally easily defended. Hence, bowlers normally bowl a range of balls away from the stumps hoping to lure the batsman into playing a rash or mis-timed shot that goes to a catch or allows the fielders to create a run out.<br /> <br /> Bowlers come in three types: Quick, Medium, and Slow (or 'spin'). A top level team will normally have a bowling attack with two or three quick bowlers, one specialist slow (spin) bowler, and several general players capable of medium pace bowling.<br /> <br /> '''Quick''' or fast bowlers may be delivering balls travelling at 136 to 150 kmh (85 to 95 mph). The ball is intended to either:<br /> *hit the pitch on the seam (between the two halves of the leather) and thereby to bounce (un)predictably, or <br /> *swing in the air towards or away from the bat.<br /> <br /> '''Medium''' pace bowlers use similar tactics to fast bowlers but aim to create more diversity within the speed of their bowling so as to trick the batsman's timing of his swing at the ball.<br /> <br /> '''Slow''' (or '''spin''') bowlers use either wrist or finger spinning techniques to get the ball to swing in the air, or bounce markedly off the pitch in either direction, and thereby snick the bat and be caught or bounce behind the batsman's guard into the stumps.<br /> <br /> Normally, the quick bowlers will open the attack, and bowl for about two hours (or to the end of the first session.) The bowling will then be mixed up, with medium and slow, or quick-medium. At any time the captain may call for a change of bowling to 'mix up' the batsmen and seek to induce lax shots that can create an 'out'.<br /> <br /> =====Over versus around=====<br /> Whether the bowler is right or left handed, they have two options for approaching the pitch to bowl the ball. <br /> *Over the wicket: The bowler's bowling arm is nearer the stumps. (A right handed bowler passes to the left of the stumps.)<br /> *Around the wicket: The bowler typically crosses in front of the umpire who is standing back slightly, and the bowler's bowling arm is away from the stumps. (A right handed bowler crosses the mid-line of the wicket and passes the stumps to the left and behind him.)<br /> <br /> Bowlers will often change delivery direction in order land the ball in a patch of rough or cracked turf. The irregular or uneven bounce that results is intended to reduce the scoring rate or induce desperate or intemperate shots by the batsman. <br /> <br /> By changing his distance away from the stumps (while remaining within the delivery crease), the bowler can achieve a range of approach angles which, when combined with spin and delivery speed, offers the attacking side a broad range of options. <br /> <br /> While it is possible for the bowler to change deliveries at each ball, typically a whole over will be bowled using one or the other of these possible delivery methods. In any case, before the delivery, the bowler must inform the umpire who will in turn inform the batsman.<br /> <br /> =====Grip and concealment=====<br /> The bowlers are under no obligation to inform the batsman about their particular technique for delivering the ball. Bowlers have certain grips on the ball that, if the batsman is able to pick up the shape of the fist or the splay of the fingers, will give a fraction of a second's advantage in determining what shot the batsman may use, or whether to take a step down or across the wicket. <br /> <br /> Bowlers will often adopt strategies to prevent the batsman seeing the delivery hand, such as:<br /> *holding their 'off' hand over the delivery hand during their strides to the crease;<br /> *holding the ball in the 'off' hand until the last delivery stride;<br /> *cocking the hand so that the bowler sees the back of the hand and not the fingers (and their particular grip on the ball);<br /> *striding in with the delivery arm behind their body.<br /> <br /> ===Scoring===<br /> <br /> The batsman’s aim is to score '''''runs''''' whilst protecting his wicket. Generally speaking, in order to score a run, he must first hit the ball. He and his partner must then decide whether or not they can run to each other’s end of the pitch before the fielding side have time to break either wicket with the ball. They may run as many times as they are able per hit and the ''on strike'' batsman scores one run for his team each time they do so.<br /> <br /> If the ball reaches the boundary rope, the batsman automatically scores four runs. If it clears the rope without first touching the ground, it scores six runs. (If a fielder is in contact with the ball when they touch the fence/rope then it is counted as a four or six depending on whether the ball has previously touched the ground or would have carried over the fence/rope.) <br /> <br /> A 'no ball' may be called by an umpire according to various infractions by a bowler. The batting team gets one run counted to its score, and the ball is rebowled. A batsman can not be caught (out) on a no ball. Bowling infractions may include overstepping the popping crease, or delivering a ball that goes outside the return crease at the batsman's end or over the batsman's head (a wild delivery). <br /> <br /> A 'bye' is a run scored when the ball is not hit. This may occur when the ball hits the batsman's apparel (clothes or protective equipment) and is deflected off into the field of play, or when a bowler delivers a ball that the wicket keeper fails to gather up. Batsmen may either 'run' or, if the ball goes to the boundary, a 'four' may be awarded even if the batsmen have run fewer.<br /> <br /> The notation for scoring leads to a particular term, 'dot ball', as in the scoring sheet a ball that does not get a run is noted with a dot. Accordingly, an over with a single, dot, no ball, dot, three, dot, single, would be marked 1.nb.3.1 (six 'legal' deliveries) and the score has increased by 6 runs including one for the no ball.<br /> <br /> ====Example of Match Scoring====<br /> <br /> The scoring of matches, and especially the way results are presented, can sometimes be confusing. As an example, let us imagine that, at the end of the first day’s play, Sri Lanka have scored 286 runs and have lost 5 wickets. This would be written as '''286-5'''.<br /> <br /> Playing Australia, the match pans out as follows:<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 1st innings: 431<br /> * Australia – 1st innings: 390<br /> <br /> * Sri Lanka – 2nd innings: 360<br /> <br /> Australia now need 402 runs to win. At the end of the 4th day, they find themselves 100-3 in their 2nd innings. Thus, they require 302 more runs to win on the final day with 7 wickets in hand.<br /> <br /> If Australia are bowled out for a 2nd innings total of 300, then they would have fallen short by 102. Sri Lanka would be said to have '''won by 101 runs''' (if Australia had scored exactly 401, the game would have been a tie).<br /> <br /> If, however, Australia reached their target only having lost another three wickets (402-6), they would be said to have '''won by 4 wickets'''.<br /> <br /> If at the end of the fifth day's play Australia were 350-8, they would not yet have reached their target, and Sri Lanka would not yet have taken 10 wickets. In this instance both teams would have failed to win and the game would be declared a draw. This occurrence is not uncommon.<br /> <br /> ==Other aspects of the game==<br /> ===Grounds===<br /> Grounds in different parts of one country, let along different parts of the world, play differently: Wickets in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, are renowned for being 'hard'; English wickets are 'green' (have grass obvious in the playing surface); the ground in [[Perth, Western Australia]] has a daily sea breeze in the afternoon.<br /> <br /> Then, there are oddities: <br /> *The &quot;Lord's&quot; ground, the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (established 1787) in London, has a slant of about 2.5m (8 feet) from one side of the ground to the other, so a shot made 'down the hill' typically goes further into the field than a shot made 'up the hill'.<br /> *Grounds in the West Indies and India often have hundreds of people sitting in or hanging from trees in order to get an unobstructed view.<br /> *&quot;The Gabba&quot; ground (at Woolloongabba in [[Brisbane, Queensland]]) has cantilevered spectator stands that protrude over the surrounding streets&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.onesteel.com/images/db_images/casestudies/sports17cbp.pdf Structural Steel Casebook, Issue 17, October 2000, pp4/6/8, OneSteel, accessed 5 January 2008&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ===Day and Night===<br /> Play is normally during the day, but an innovation since the 1970s has been the introduction of light towers at cricket grounds that allow play to continue through dusk and into the night.<br /> <br /> ===Sight Screen===<br /> At each end of a major cricket ground is a 'sight screen', which is of a contrasting colour to the ball; white screen for a red 'day' ball; black screen for a white 'night' ball. The screen is moved so as to be behind the bowler from the perspective of the batsman. The ball thus stands out from the background and assists the batsman in making decisions about his shot. <br /> <br /> ===Winter===<br /> Cricket grounds are of a size that allows them to be marked out during winter for playing football: [[soccer]], [[Rugby]], [[Rugby Union]], or [[Australian Rules]].<br /> <br /> Many cricketers play baseball in winter, to keep up their hand-eye coordination.<br /> <br /> ===Women's Cricket===<br /> A strong international competition exists for women playing cricket. This is based on national competitions at various levels (state/county, regional and local). <br /> <br /> ===Blind Cricket===<br /> People with vision impairment, along with fully sighted people, can play [[Blind]] Cricket. (Sighted people are fitted with special spectacles that distort their vision.)<br /> <br /> The ball is normally a white plastic ball of similar size to a cricket ball or softball, and has inside it a bell or metal pieces that make a noise as the ball moves. <br /> <br /> The bowler calls out to the batsman, &quot;Are you ready?&quot;, which allows the batsman to line up for the delivery. Similarly, the batsman's reply, or a call from the wicket keeper, allows the bowler to line up. <br /> <br /> The batsman can be got 'out' in the same ways as for sighted cricket, except that catching is not permitted. <br /> <br /> ===Duckworth-Lewis scoring===<br /> In the event that a limited over match is affected by rain or other stops to play, a system of score amendment is used developed by Mr Duckworth and Mr Lewis. This allows the umpires to calculate a new score target to win for the second side batting for any given amount of time remaining for normal play. If a game may be rain affected, it is in the interests of the first side batting to score at a rapid and even rate, so that a revised target is difficult for the following side to achieve.<br /> <br /> ==Famous Cricketers==<br /> ===Batsmen===<br /> *Dr [[W.G. Grace]] (1848-1915), English - &quot;the best-known Englishman of his time&quot;<br /> *Sir [[Don Bradman]] (1908-2001), Australian - &quot;the greatest batsman of all time&quot; (test match average of 99.94 runs; top score 334; 29 100s &amp; 13 50s; 6,996 runs in 52 matches)<br /> *[[Sachin Tendulkar]] (1973-), Indian - &quot;the greatest One-Day International cricketer of all time&quot; (Tests: ~12,000 @ 55 av; ODI: ~16,000 @ 44 av; First Class: ~20,000 @ 59 av; List A ODI: ~19,000 @ 45 av; still playing)<br /> *Sir [[Gary Sobers|Garfield Sobers]] (1936-), Barbadian - &quot;the greatest all-rounder of all time&quot;. The first player to hit six sixes in one over of first-class cricket. <br /> *Sir [[Vivian Richards|Viv Richards]] (1952-), Antigua, West Indies - &quot;the greatest ODI batsman of all time&quot; until Tendulkar (Tests: 8,540 @ 50.23 av; ODI: 6721 @ 47.00 av; First Class: 36,212 @ 49.40 av; List A ODI: 16,995 @ 41.96 av)<br /> <br /> ===Bowlers===<br /> *[[Shane Warne]] (1969-), Australian - spin bowler, &quot;cricketer of the century&quot; (Tests: 40,704 balls for 708 wickets @ 25.41 balls/wicket; ODI: 10,642 for 293 @ 25.73 av; First Class: 74,830 for 1,319 @ 26.11 av; List A ODI: 16,419 for 473 @ 24.61 av; retired 2007)<br /> *[[Muttiah Muralitharan]] (1972-), Sri Lankan - spin bowler, &quot;the greatest Test match bowler ever&quot; (still playing; as at December 2007 - Tests: 39,202 balls for 723 wickets @ 21.77 balls/wicket; ODI: 16,094 for 455 @ 22.68 av; First Class: 62,096 for 1,297 @ 18.93 av; List A ODI: 20,095 for 575 @ 22.97 av)<br /> *[[Glenn McGrath]] (1970-), Australian - quick bowler, &quot;holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler&quot; (Retired from test cricket 2007; still playing demonstration matches; as at August 2007 - Tests: 29248 balls for 563 wickets @ 21.64 balls/wicket; ODI: 12970 for 381 @ 22.02 av; First Class: 41759 for 835 @ 20.85 av; List A ODI: 15808 for 463 @ 21.60 av)<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> * [http://www.icc-cricket.com International Cricket Council]<br /> * [http://www.lords.org The Lord's ground and the Marylebone Cricket Club]<br /> * [http://www.cricket.com.au 'Cricket Australia']<br /> * [http://www.championships.vbca.org.au/ Vision Australia 29th National 'Blind Cricket' Championships, 29 December 2007 - 11 January 2008]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Cricket]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Dell&diff=356870 2007-12-22T20:44:33Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add categories</p> <hr /> <div>Dell Inc. was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell at the [[University of Texas at Austin]]. To date, the company has sold more computer systems globally than any other computer company.<br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> <br /> *[http://www.dell.com/ Official Website]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Information technology]]<br /> [[Category:Companies]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=DS&diff=356869 2007-12-22T20:39:37Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>The '''DS''' is a [[video game]] system created by [[Nintendo]]. Its main features are its two screens (its name is an [[acronym]] for &quot;Dual Screens&quot;) and the touch-sensitivity of the bottom screen. It features the games [[New Super Mario Brothers]], [[The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass]], and [[Pokemon Diamond and Pearl]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:Video game systems]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Wii_Sports&diff=356868 2007-12-22T20:38:52Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>'''Wii Sports''' is a [[video game]] that comes packaged with the [[Wii|Nintendo Wii]]. It contains five games: [[Baseball]], [[tennis]], [[bowling]], [[golf]], and [[boxing]].<br /> <br /> {{stub2}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Video games]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Barney_(dog)&diff=356266 2007-12-21T19:33:03Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>(''for Barney Rubble see [[The Flintstones]].'')<br /> [[Image:Sept2004.jpg|right|thumb|Barney (dog)]]<br /> '''Barney''' (2000 - ) is a Scottish Terrier owned by [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] and his wife [[Laura Bush|Laura]]. He is known for his appearances in the Bushes' Christmas videos.<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.whitehouse.gov/barney/ Barney Home Page]. Accessed April 19, 2007.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Animals]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Spirit_level&diff=356263 2007-12-21T19:29:36Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>A '''spirit level''' is used to determine that a [[surface]] is level. The level itself usually consists of plastic tubing encased within a ruler or level-measuring instrument. The tubing centre is marked with lines, and the tube is incompletely filled with liquid. This leaves an air bubble. As one rotates the spirit level, the bubble will move up and down the scale. When the bubble rests in the centre of the scale - between the marker lines - one knows that the surface is level. Or that one is holding the spirit level, level. The tool is moderately worthy in that it is essential to a flat, level, level surface. <br /> <br /> One may attach the level to a surface with clamps if desired, and then move the surface until level. Some spirit levels contain vertical horizontal and diagonal levels to measure each [[axis]]. This can be useful, for example, in checking the levels of a supposedly 90 degree angle. In this case one will see that the corner is accurate if the level displays that both horizontal and vertical are level.<br /> <br /> <br /> == Types of Spirit Levels ==<br /> Levels may be encased in a horizontal bar analogous to a ruler, such as the carpenter's level. They can also be hung on string, to check that the string line is level. Some machines will have a level built in also, to ensure accurate level surfaces.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Tools]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=John_Cleese&diff=356261 2007-12-21T19:27:48Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>'''John Cleese''' a British comedian and an original member of the comedy team [[Monty Python]].<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleese, John}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comedians]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Ian_Botham&diff=353606 2007-12-17T12:33:06Z

<p>Moronicorbit: New page: '''Ian Terence Botham''' (born 24 November 1955 in Heswall, Cheshire) is a former English cricketer who is considered one of greatest all-rounders of all time. During his 1...</p> <hr /> <div>'''Ian Terence Botham''' (born 24 November 1955 in Heswall, Cheshire) is a former [[England|English]] [[cricket]]er who is considered one of greatest all-rounders of all time. During his 15 year Test career he scored 5200 runs at 33.54, and took 383 wickets at an average of 28.40.<br /> <br /> Botham's most famous performance came in the 1981 Ashes. [[Australia]] led 1-0 after the first two Tests and England were forced to follow-on in the third, but Botham scored 149 not out which turned the Test and the series, England went onto win 3-1.<br /> <br /> After retiring from playing he has worked as a [[television]] commentator and has participated in a number of charity long-distance walks raising more than £10 million for Leukemia Research. He was [[knight]]ed in 2007.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Cricketers]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Gary_Sobers&diff=352212 2007-12-14T16:23:30Z

<p>Moronicorbit: defaultsort</p> <hr /> <div>'''Garfield St Aubrun Sobers''' (born 28 July 1936 in Saint Michael, [[Barbados]]) better known as '''Gary Sobers''', is a former West Indian [[cricket]]er who is considered the greatest all-rounder of all time. He was a left-handed batsman and had the ability to bowl left arm orthodox spin, left arm wrist spin, and also left arm fast-medium.<br /> <br /> In 1958 Sobers set a Test record for the highest individual innings when scoring 365 not out against [[Pakistan]]. He was also the first batsman to hit six &quot;sixes&quot; in six consecutive balls when playing [[County Championship|County Cricket]].<br /> <br /> Sobers finished his international career with over 8,000 runs and 200 wickets. He was [[knight]]ed for his services to cricket in 1975 and was selected as one of five Wisden cricketers of the century in 2000.<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Sobers, Gary}}<br /> [[Category:Cricketers]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Gary_Sobers&diff=352211 2007-12-14T16:22:15Z

<p>Moronicorbit: New page: '''Garfield St Aubrun Sobers''' (born 28 July 1936 in Saint Michael, Barbados) better known as '''Gary Sobers''', is a former West Indian cricketer who is considered the greatest a...</p> <hr /> <div>'''Garfield St Aubrun Sobers''' (born 28 July 1936 in Saint Michael, [[Barbados]]) better known as '''Gary Sobers''', is a former West Indian [[cricket]]er who is considered the greatest all-rounder of all time. He was a left-handed batsman and had the ability to bowl left arm orthodox spin, left arm wrist spin, and also left arm fast-medium.<br /> <br /> In 1958 Sobers set a Test record for the highest individual innings when scoring 365 not out against [[Pakistan]]. He was also the first batsman to hit six &quot;sixes&quot; in six consecutive balls when playing [[County Championship|County Cricket]].<br /> <br /> Sobers finished his international career with over 8,000 runs and 200 wickets. He was [[knight]]ed for his services to cricket in 1975 and was selected as one of five Wisden cricketers of the century in 2000.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Cricketers]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Media&diff=351671 2007-12-13T18:58:07Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div><br /> [[Category:Everything]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Entertainment&diff=351669 2007-12-13T18:57:33Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Media]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Military_History&diff=351667 2007-12-13T18:55:55Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div><br /> [[Category:Military]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Musical_Instruments&diff=351666 2007-12-13T18:54:45Z

<p>Moronicorbit: re-direct</p> <hr /> <div>{{category redirect|Musical Instrument}}<br /> List of musical instrument related articles.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Music]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Rwanda&diff=351662 2007-12-13T18:49:51Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>'''Rwanda''' is a small country in east-central [[Africa]]. It is bordered by [[Uganda]], [[Tanzania]], [[Burundi]], and the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. Its capital and largest city is Kigali. It has a population of approximately 9 million, and an area of 26,336 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;. <br /> <br /> In 1994, Rwanda was the scene of a major modern [[genocide]], when the ethnic group known as [[Hutu]] murdered as many as a million [[Tutsi]]. Then-President [[Bill Clinton]] and US Ambassador to the UN [[Madeleine Albright]] refused to take action to stop or slow the genocide.{{fact}}<br /> <br /> The plight of the Tuts was dramatized in &quot;[[Hotel Rwanda]]&quot;.<br /> <br /> [[Category:African Countries]]<br /> [[category:genocide]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Mozambique&diff=351660 2007-12-13T18:49:23Z

<p>Moronicorbit: delete category</p> <hr /> <div>'''Mozambique''' is a nation in south-east [[Africa]]. The capital city is [[Maputo]] (formerly Laurenco Marques).<br /> <br /> ==People==<br /> Mozambique's major ethnic groups encompass numerous subgroups with diverse languages, dialects, cultures, and histories. Many are linked to similar ethnic groups living in neighboring countries. The north-central provinces of Zambezia and Nampula are the most populous, with about 45% of the population. The estimated 4 million Makua are the dominant group in the northern part of the country--the Sena and Ndau are prominent in the Zambezi valley, and the Tsonga and Shangaan dominate in southern Mozambique. <br /> <br /> Despite the influence of Islamic coastal traders and European colonizers, the people of Mozambique have largely retained an indigenous culture based on small-scale agriculture. Mozambique's most highly developed art forms are wood sculpture, for which the Makonde in northern Mozambique are particularly renowned, and dance. The middle and upper classes continue to be heavily influenced by the Portuguese colonial and linguistic heritage. <br /> <br /> During the colonial era, Christian missionaries were active in Mozambique, and many foreign clergy remain in the country. According to the national census, about 40% of the population is Christian, at least 20% is Muslim, and the remainder adheres to traditional beliefs. <br /> <br /> Under the colonial regime, educational opportunities for black Mozambicans were limited, and 93% of that population was illiterate. In fact, most of today's political leaders were educated in missionary schools. After independence, the government placed a high priority on expanding education, which reduced the illiteracy rate to about two-thirds as primary school enrollment increased. Unfortunately, in recent years school construction and teacher training enrollments have not kept up with population increases. With post-war enrollments reaching all-time highs, the quality of education has suffered. <br /> *Population (2006 est.): 19.7 million; 48.2% male and 51.8% female.<br /> *Population annual growth rate (2006): 1.3%.<br /> *Ethnic groups: Makua, Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Sena, Ndau, and other indigenous groups, and approximately 10,000 *Europeans, 35,000 Euro-Africans, and 15,000 South Asians.<br /> *Religions: Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous African and other beliefs 40% (1997 census--recent estimates give a higher Muslim percentage).<br /> *Languages: Portuguese (official), various indigenous languages. <br /> *Education: Mean years of schooling (adults over 25): men 2.1, women 1.2. Primary net enrolment rate (2003)--61%. Adult illiteracy rate (2003)--53.6%.<br /> *Health: Infant mortality rate (2006)--129/1,000. Life expectancy (2006)--40 years. <br /> *Work force (9.4 million est. 2006): Agriculture--81%; industry--6%; services--13% (1997 estimate).<br /> <br /> ==Government and Political Conditions==<br /> Mozambique is a multi-party democracy under the 1990 constitution. The executive branch comprises a president, prime minister, and Council of Ministers. There is a National Assembly and municipal assemblies. The judiciary comprises a Supreme Court and provincial, district, and municipal courts. Suffrage is universal at 18. <br /> <br /> In 1994 the country held its first democratic elections. Joaquim Chissano was elected President with 53% of the vote, and a 250-member National Assembly was voted in with 129 FRELIMO deputies, 112 RENAMO deputies, and 9 representatives of three smaller parties that formed the Democratic Union (UD). Since its formation in 1994, the National Assembly has made some progress in becoming a body increasingly more independent of the executive. By 1999, more than one-half (53%) of the legislation passed originated in the Assembly. <br /> <br /> After some delays, in 1998 the country held its first local elections to provide for local representation and some budgetary authority at the municipal level. The principal opposition party, RENAMO, boycotted the local elections, citing flaws in the registration process. Independent slates contested the elections and won seats in municipal assemblies. Turnout was very low. <br /> <br /> In the aftermath of the 1998 local elections, the government resolved to make more accommodations to the opposition's procedural concerns for the second round of multiparty national elections in 1999. Working through the National Assembly, the electoral law was rewritten and passed by consensus in December 1998. Financed largely by international donors, a very successful voter registration was conducted from July to September 1999, providing voter registration cards to 85% of the potential electorate (more than 7 million voters). <br /> <br /> The second general elections were held December 3-5, 1999, with high voter turnout. International and domestic observers agreed that the voting process was well organized and went smoothly. Both the opposition and observers subsequently cited flaws in the tabulation process that, had they not occurred, might have changed the outcome. In the end, however, international and domestic observers concluded that the close result of the vote reflected the will of the people. <br /> <br /> President Chissano won the presidency with a margin of 4% points over the RENAMO-Electoral Union coalition candidate, Afonso Dhlakama, and began his 5-year term in January 2000. FRELIMO increased its majority in the National Assembly with 133 out of 250 seats. RENAMO-UE coalition won 116 seats, one went independent, and no third parties are represented. <br /> <br /> The opposition coalition did not accept the National Election Commission's results of the presidential vote and filed a formal complaint to the Supreme Court. One month after the voting, the court dismissed the opposition's challenge and validated the election results. The opposition did not file a complaint about the results of the legislative vote. <br /> <br /> The second local elections, involving 33 municipalities with some 2.4 million registered voters, took place in November 2003. This was the first time that FRELIMO, RENAMO-UE, and independent parties competed without significant boycotts. The 24% turnout was well above the 15% turnout in the first municipal elections. FRELIMO won 28 mayoral positions and the majority in 29 municipal assemblies, while RENAMO won 5 mayoral positions and the majority in 4 municipal assemblies. The voting was conducted in an orderly fashion without violent incidents. However, the period immediately after the elections was marked by objections about voter and candidate registration and vote tabulation, as well as calls for greater transparency. <br /> <br /> In May 2004, the government approved a new general elections law that contained innovations based on the experience of the 2003 municipal elections. <br /> <br /> The third general elections occurred on December 1-2, 2004. FRELIMO candidate Armando Guebuza won with 64% of the popular vote. His opponent, Afonso Dhlakama of RENAMO, received 32% of the popular vote. The estimated 44% turnout was well below the almost 70% turnout in the 1999 general elections. FRELIMO won 160 seats in Parliament. A coalition of RENAMO and several small parties won the 90 remaining seats. Armando Guebuza was inaugurated as the President of Mozambique on February 2, 2005. The government has scheduled provincial and municipal elections in 2008, and presidential and parliamentary elections in 2009. <br /> <br /> ===Principal Government Officials===<br /> *President--Armando Guebuza<br /> *Prime Minister--Luisa Diogo<br /> *Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Alcinda Abreu<br /> *Minister of Finance--Manuel Chang<br /> *Minister of National Defense--Tobias Dai<br /> *Minister of the Interior--Jose Pacheco<br /> *Minister of Industry and Commerce--Antonio Fernando<br /> *Ambassador to the United States--Armando Panguene <br /> <br /> ===Foreign Relations===<br /> While allegiances dating back to the liberation struggle remain relevant, Mozambique's foreign policy has become increasingly pragmatic. The twin pillars of Mozambique's foreign policy are maintenance of good relations with its neighbors and maintenance and expansion of ties to development partners. <br /> <br /> During the 1970s and early 1980s, Mozambique's foreign policy was inextricably linked to the struggles for majority rule in Rhodesia and South Africa, as well as superpower competition and the Cold War. Mozambique's decision to enforce UN sanctions against Rhodesia and deny that country access to the sea led Ian Smith's regime to undertake overt and covert actions to destabilize the country, including sponsoring the rebel group RENAMO. After the change of government in Zimbabwe in 1980, the apartheid regime in South Africa continued to finance the destabilization of Mozambique. <br /> <br /> The 1984 Nkomati Accord, while failing in its goal of ending South African support to RENAMO, opened initial diplomatic contacts between the Mozambican and South African Governments. This process gained momentum with South Africa's elimination of apartheid, which culminated in the establishment of full diplomatic relations in October 1993. While relations with neighboring Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania show occasional strains, Mozambique's ties to these countries remain strong. <br /> <br /> In the years immediately following its independence, Mozambique benefited from considerable assistance from some western countries, notably the Scandinavians. Moscow and its allies, however, became Mozambique's primary economic, military, and political supporters and its foreign policy reflected this linkage. This began to change in 1983; in 1984 Mozambique joined the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Western aid quickly replaced Soviet support, with the Scandinavians, the United States, the Netherlands, and the European Union becoming increasingly important sources of development assistance. Italy also maintains a profile in Mozambique as a result of its key role during the peace process. Relations with Portugal, the former colonial power, are complex and of some importance as Portuguese investors play a visible role in Mozambique's economy. <br /> <br /> Mozambique is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and ranks among the moderate members of the African Bloc in the United Nations and other international organizations. Mozambique also belongs to the Organization of African Unity/African Union and the Southern African Development Community. In 1994, the government became a full member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, in part to broaden its base of international support but also to please the country's sizeable Muslim population. Similarly, in early 1996 Mozambique joined its Anglophone neighbors in the Commonwealth. In the same year, Mozambique became a founding member and the first President of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), and maintains close ties with other Lusophone states. <br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> At the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique ranked among the poorest countries in the world. It still ranks among the least developed nations with very low socioeconomic indicators. In the last decade, however, Mozambique has experienced a notable economic recovery. Per capita GDP in 2006 was estimated at U.S. $320, a significant increase over the mid-1980s level of U.S. $120. With high foreign debt and a good track record on economic reform, Mozambique was the first African nation and sixth country worldwide to qualify for debt relief under the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) initial HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) Initiative. In April 2000, Mozambique qualified for the Enhanced HIPC program and reached its completion point in September 2001. This led to the Paris Club members agreeing in November 2001 to substantially reduce the remaining bilateral debt, resulting in the complete forgiveness of a considerable volume of bilateral debt. The United States already finished the process and has forgiven Mozambique's debt. <br /> *GDP (2006): $6.4 billion. <br /> *Annual economic (GDP) growth rate (2006): 7.9%.<br /> *Per capita gross domestic product (2006): $320.<br /> *Natural resources: Hydroelectric power, coal, natural gas, titanium ore, tantalite, graphite, iron ore, semi-precious stones, and arable land.<br /> *Agriculture (21% of GDP; annual growth 7.9%): Exports--cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers, beef and poultry. Domestically consumed food crops--corn, pigeon peas, cassava, rice, beef, pork, chicken, and goat.<br /> *Industry (31% of GDP; annual growth 10%): Types--food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, and tobacco.<br /> *Services (39.7% of GDP; annual growth 4.7%).<br /> *Trade: Imports (2006)--$2.82 billion. Import commodities--machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs and textiles. Main suppliers--South Africa, Netherlands, Portugal. Exports (2006)--$2.43 billion. Export commodities--aluminum, cashews, prawns, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber, bulk electricity, natural gas. Main markets--Belgium, South Africa, Zimbabwe. <br /> <br /> During their summit in Scotland in July 2005, the G8 nations agreed to significant multilateral debt relief for the world's least developed nations. On December 21, 2005, the IMF formalized the complete cancellation of all Mozambican IMF debt contracted prior to January 1, 2005, worth U.S. $153 million.<br /> <br /> The resettlement of civil war refugees, political stability and continuing economic reforms have led to a high economic growth rate. Between 1994 and 2006, average annual GDP growth was approximately 8%. Mozambique achieved this growth rate even though the devastating floods of 2000 slowed GDP growth to 2.1%. The World Bank is predicting average growth of 7% through 2008. Future strong expansion requires continued economic reforms, major foreign direct investment, and the resurrection of the agriculture, transportation and tourism sectors. Focusing on economic growth in the agricultural sector is a major challenge for the government. Although more than 80% of the population engages in small-scale agriculture, the sector suffers from inadequate infrastructure, commercial networks and investment. However a majority of Mozambique's arable land is still uncultivated, leaving room for considerable growth.<br /> <br /> The government's tight control of spending and the money supply, combined with financial sector reform, successfully reduced inflation from 70% in 1994 to less than 5% in 1998-1999. Economic disruptions resulting from the devastating floods of 2000 caused inflation to jump to 12.7% that year. The government is still working to bring inflation down to those lower numbers. In 2004 inflation was 9.1%; in 2005 it climbed to 11.2%; in 2006 it dropped back down to 9.4%. As of March 2007, the floating exchange rate was approximately 26 meticais per dollar. (Note: In July 2006 the government revised its currency, dropping three zeros. Thus a coin formerly worth 1,000 meticais was from then on worth only one metical. And thus, where a dollar previously had been worth, for example, 26,000 meticais, it was from July onward worth 26.)<br /> <br /> Economic reform has been extensive. More than 1,200 state-owned enterprises (mostly small) have been privatized. Preparations for privatization and/or sector liberalization are underway for the remaining parastatals, including telecommunications, electricity, ports, and the railroads. The government frequently selects a strategic foreign investor when privatizing a parastatal. Additionally, customs duties have been reduced, and customs management has been streamlined and reformed. The government introduced a value-added tax in 1999 as part of its efforts to increase domestic revenues. <br /> <br /> ====Improving trade imbalance====<br /> In 2006 Mozambique exported U.S. $2.43 billion worth of goods and imported U.S. $2.82 billion worth of goods. Support programs provided by foreign donors and private financing of foreign direct investment mega-projects and their associated raw materials have largely compensated for balance-of-payment shortfalls. The medium-term outlook for exports is encouraging, as a number of recent foreign investment projects have improved the trade balance. This export growth is expected to continue. MOZAL I, a large aluminum smelter that commenced production in mid-2000, greatly expanded Mozambique's trade volume. In April 2001, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) approved financing assistance for MOZAL II, which doubled overall production capacity. Phase two went online in April 2003, five months ahead of schedule, using primarily Mozambican workers during construction. Traditional Mozambican exports include cashews, shrimp, fish, copra, sugar, cotton, tea and citrus and exotic fruits. Most of these industries are being rehabilitated. In addition, Mozambique is less dependent upon imports for basic food and manufactured goods as the result of steady increases in local production.<br /> <br /> ====SADC trade protocol====<br /> In December 1999, the Mozambican Council of Ministers approved the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Trade Protocol. The Protocol will create a free trade zone among more than 200 million consumers in the SADC region. Implementation of the Protocol began in 2002 and has an overall zero-tariff target set for 2008; however, Mozambique's country-specific zero-tariff goal is currently 2015. Mozambique joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) on August 26, 1995. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Mozambique's first inhabitants were San hunter and gatherers, ancestors of the Khoisani peoples. Between the first and fourth centuries AD, waves of Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from the north through the Zambezi River valley and then gradually into the plateau and coastal areas. The Bantu were farmers and ironworkers. <br /> <br /> When Portuguese explorers reached Mozambique in 1498, Arab trading settlements had existed along the coast and outlying islands for several centuries. From about 1500, Portuguese trading posts and forts became regular ports of call on the new route to the east. Later, traders and prospectors penetrated the interior regions seeking gold and slaves. Although Portuguese influence gradually expanded, its power was limited and exercised through individual settlers who were granted extensive autonomy. As a result, investment lagged while Lisbon devoted itself to the more lucrative trade with India and the Far East and to the colonization of Brazil. <br /> <br /> By the early 20th century the Portuguese had shifted the administration of much of the country to large private companies, controlled and financed mostly by the British, which established railroad lines to neighboring countries and supplied cheap--often forced--African labor to the mines and plantations of the nearby British colonies and South Africa. Because policies were designed to benefit white settlers and the Portuguese homeland, little attention was paid to Mozambique's national integration, its economic infrastructure, or the skills of its population. <br /> <br /> After World War II, while many European nations were granting independence to their colonies, Portugal clung to the concept that Mozambique and other Portuguese possessions were overseas provinces of the mother country, and emigration to the colonies soared. Mozambique's Portuguese population at the time of independence was about 250,000. The drive for Mozambican independence developed apace, and in 1962 several anti-colonial political groups formed the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), which initiated an armed campaign against Portuguese colonial rule in September 1964. After 10 years of sporadic warfare and major political changes in Portugal, Mozambique became independent on June 25, 1975. <br /> <br /> The last 30 years of Mozambique's history have reflected political developments elsewhere in the 20th century. Following the April 1974 coup in Lisbon, Portuguese colonialism collapsed. In Mozambique, the military decision to withdraw occurred within the context of a decade of armed anti-colonial struggle, initially led by American-educated Eduardo Mondlane, who was assassinated in 1969. When independence was achieved in 1975, the leaders of FRELIMO's military campaign rapidly established a one-party state allied to the Soviet bloc and outlawed rival political activity. FRELIMO eliminated political pluralism, religious educational institutions, and the role of traditional authorities. <br /> <br /> The new government gave shelter and support to South African (ANC) and Zimbabwean (ZANU) liberation movements while the governments of first Rhodesia and later apartheid South Africa fostered and financed an armed rebel movement in central Mozambique called the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO). Civil war, sabotage from neighboring states, and economic collapse characterized the first decade of Mozambican independence. Also marking this period were the mass exodus of Portuguese nationals, weak infrastructure, nationalization, and economic mismanagement. During most of the civil war, the government was unable to exercise effective control outside of urban areas, many of which were cut off from the capital. An estimated 1 million Mozambicans perished during the civil war, 1.7 million took refuge in neighboring states, and several million more were internally displaced. In the third FRELIMO party congress in 1983, President Samora Machel conceded the failure of socialism and the need for major political and economic reforms. He died, along with several advisers, in a suspicious 1986 plane crash. <br /> <br /> His successor, Joaquim Chissano, continued the reforms and began peace talks with RENAMO. The new constitution enacted in 1990 provided for a multi-party political system, market-based economy, and free elections. The civil war ended in October 1992 with the Rome General Peace Accords. Under supervision of the ONUMOZ peacekeeping force of the United Nations, peace returned to Mozambique. <br /> <br /> By mid-1995 the more than 1.7 million Mozambican refugees who had sought asylum in neighboring Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia, Tanzania, and South Africa as a result of war and drought had returned, as part of the largest repatriation witnessed in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, a further estimated 4 million internally displaced people returned to their areas of origin. <br /> <br /> [[Category:African Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Malawi&diff=351658 2007-12-13T18:48:59Z

<p>Moronicorbit: delete category</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Republic of Malawi''', formerly known as Nyasaland is a densely populated democracy in southeastern Africa. It borders on [[Zambia]], [[Tanzania]] and [[Mozambique]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:African Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cape_Verde&diff=351656 2007-12-13T18:48:06Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>{{country<br /> |map=cv-map.gif<br /> |flag=Flag of Cape Verde.jpg<br /> |capital=Praia<br /> |president=Pedro Pires<br /> |pm=José Maria Neves <br /> }}<br /> '''Cape Verde''' is an [[island]]-[[nation]] locatd off the western coast of [[Africa]], in the North [[Atlantic Ocean]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:African Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Cameroon&diff=351655 2007-12-13T18:47:01Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>{{country<br /> |map=cm-map.gif<br /> |flag=Flag of Cameroon.jpg<br /> |capital=Yaoundé<br /> |president=Paul Biya<br /> |pm=Ephraim Inoni<br /> }}<br /> '''Cameroon''' is a country in [[Africa]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:African Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Burundi&diff=351653 2007-12-13T18:46:41Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>{{country<br /> |map=by-map.gif<br /> |flag=Flag of Burundi.jpg<br /> |capital=Bujumbura<br /> |president=Pierre Nkurunziza<br /> }}<br /> '''Burundi''' is a country in [[Africa]], bordering the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Rwanda]], [[Tanzania]], and [[Lake Tanganyika]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:African Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:South_Africa&diff=351650 2007-12-13T18:44:52Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Union of South Africa''' is the southernmost nation on the continent of [[Africa]]. It has a rich and controversial history.<br /> <br /> [[Category:African Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Spain&diff=351648 2007-12-13T18:42:28Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:European Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Norway&diff=351647 2007-12-13T18:42:13Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>Norway is a country in [[Scandinavia]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:European Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Netherlands&diff=351646 2007-12-13T18:41:47Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:European Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Norway&diff=351645 2007-12-13T18:40:40Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>Norway is a country in [[Scandinavia]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:Europe]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Netherlands&diff=351644 2007-12-13T18:40:14Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div><br /> [[Category:Europe]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Computers&diff=351642 2007-12-13T18:35:55Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Technology]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Software&diff=351641 2007-12-13T18:34:59Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Computers]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Birthstones&diff=351638 2007-12-13T18:30:09Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>Birthstones are gemstones associated with a month of birth (January through December) and often made into jewelry.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Gems]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Ken_Livingstone&diff=351636 2007-12-13T18:28:59Z

<p>Moronicorbit: move to developed category</p> <hr /> <div>'''Ken Livingstone''' (b. 1945) is the first elected Mayor of [[London]]. He was elected Mayor as an independent candidate on 4 May 2000 and was re-elected (this time as Labour Party candidate) on 10 June 2004&lt;ref&gt;http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/mayorbiog.jsp&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> Livingstone was elected to the Greater London Council (GLC)in 1973 and became Leader of the council in 1981, ousting the existing Labour Party group leader in a 'palace putsch'. As GLC leader he pursued a high-profile campaign of opposition to government policy, so infuriating [[Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]] that she abolished the GLC and six other metropolitan county councils in 1986. Between 1987 and 2001 Livingstone was MP for the Brent East constituency in north-west London, for most of that period as a Labour MP. He was expelled from the Labour Party in 2000 for standing for the newly-created post of Mayor against an official Labour candidate (the luckless Frank Dobson), but was readmitted in 2004.<br /> <br /> ===References===<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingstone, Ken}}<br /> [[Category:British politics]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Chess&diff=351634 2007-12-13T18:27:53Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Staunton chess set.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A typical chess set and tournament clock.]]<br /> <br /> '''Chess''' is a turn-based [[board game]] for two players, and is one of the most popular games in the world. The goal of the game is to place the opposing king into ''checkmate'', that is, a position in which the king is under attack but cannot escape.<br /> <br /> Modern international chess has a powerful, sweeping [[queen]] who was not in the original game. The long reach of bishops today was also lacking at first. Maneuvers such as castling or capturing ''en passant'' have been developed within the past few hundred years.<br /> <br /> Today, chess is one of the most popular board games in the world. International competition, including world [[champion]]ship events, is organized by an organization called FIDE and American competition organized by the USCF (United States Chess Federation). The only American world champion was [[Bobby Fischer]], although [[Paul Morphy]] of [[Louisiana]] was likely the strongest player in the world in the 1850s, before a formal world champion was determined. The current world champion is [[India | Indian]] Viswanathan &quot;Vishy&quot; Anand.<br /> <br /> ==Origins==<br /> Chess has its roots in [[India]], where locals played a game called Shaturanga. The earliest extant description of the game is contained in the [[Bhavishya Purana]], which dates from A.D. 300 to A.D. 600. Shaturanga used [[dice]], but [[Hinduism]] bans gambling. As a result, the game of chess developed free from any dice or chance. The exact rules of Shaturanga are not known, but the game developed further in Persia into something very like its modern form. The Persian game Shatranj - which remains popular in the middle east today - is nearly identical to modern chess. By A.D. 1200 the game reached southern Europe, and in the late fifteenth century the Europeans adopted a number of changes: the queen, which had formerly been a very weak piece, became the strongest piece on the board, and allowing pawns to move two squares on the first move became standard. These changes had the effect of speeding up play, and they brought the game into the form we know today.<br /> <br /> There has been some speculation that chess has roots in [[China]]. It's clear that chess is in some way related to [[XiangQi]] (Chinese Chess) and [[Shogi]] (Japanese Chess), but scholars disagree about whether either of these variants predates Shaturanga.<br /> <br /> ==The Board==<br /> The chess board is a square, divided into 64 smaller squares arranged in eight rows of eight. The squares are alternating light and dark, with a light square in the bottom right hand corner. A chess board is the same as a [[Checkers|checker board]].<br /> <br /> The horizontal rows of squares are referred to as &quot;ranks&quot; and the vertical rows are referred to as &quot;files&quot;.<br /> <br /> ==Pieces==<br /> [[Image:StauntonPieces.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Staunton Style chess pieces. From left to right: King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, and Pawn.]]<br /> Each player has a total of 16 pieces; 8 pawns, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, 1 queen, and 1 king.&lt;br&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Relative Value of Pieces===<br /> There are several different ideas about the relative value of the pieces. It is important to note that the &quot;points&quot; used to assign a value to each piece are hypothetical and do not constitute a score.<br /> <br /> The method most often used is:<br /> *[[Image:chesspawn.jpg|20px]] Pawn--1 <br /> *[[Image:chessknight.jpg|20px]] Knight--3 (some say 2.5) <br /> *[[Image:chessbishop.jpg|20px]] Bishop--3<br /> *[[Image:chessrook.jpg|20px]] Rook--5<br /> *[[Image:chessqueen.jpg|20px]] Queen--9 <br /> *[[Image:chessking.jpg|20px]] King--Priceless <br /> &lt;BR&gt;(The value to the player of some pieces will actually vary during the course of the game, for instance, in an endgame, the King has an attacking power of about 3)<br /> <br /> ===Style===<br /> The most popular style of pieces are known as Staunton style pieces, the tournament standard for chess pieces, although other types exist. Often, popular themed chess sets will appear with characters from popular culture or fiction taking the places of the more common Staunton style pieces. These novelty pieces are not tournament sanctioned however, and can sometimes cause confusion during game play as to which piece is which.<br /> <br /> Although chess pieces can come in a variety of materials, marble and glass tend to be very popular, but for most chess tournaments, simple plastic pieces are usually favored. Also, while many home chess sets use heavy boards made out of wood or stone or some polymer material, tournament boards are actually roll-able mats with the board printed on it.<br /> <br /> ==Gameplay ==<br /> <br /> The object of the game is to checkmate the other player's '''King''' before he checkmates your king. When a pawn reaches the far side of the board, it may be promoted to any other piece (except a King).<br /> <br /> *The players alternate moving until the game has ended.<br /> *The player with the White pieces always moves first.<br /> <br /> ===Movement===<br /> The pieces move as follows.<br /> *The '''pawn''' moves one square forward, except when moving from its opening position, when it can optionally move two. The pawn is the only piece that captures in a way different from the way it moves. It captures opposing pieces by capturing one square diagonally forward. When another piece is on the square directly in front of a pawn it cannot move unless it is making a capture. &lt;br&gt;<br /> *The '''knight''', which is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, moves one square in one straight direction and two in the other.&lt;br&gt;<br /> *The '''bishop''' can move as many squares as desired diagonally.&lt;br&gt;<br /> *The '''rook''' can move as many squares as desired in a straight direction.&lt;br&gt;<br /> *The '''queen''' is the most powerful piece in the board. It can move as many squares as desired (without jumping over another piece), either straight or diagonally.&lt;br&gt;<br /> *The '''king''', which is the most important piece on the board, moves one square, either straight or diagonally.<br /> <br /> ====Capturing====<br /> <br /> All pieces except for the pawn capture along their lines of motion. A capture is made by moving a piece to a square occupied by one of the opponent's pieces, and removing the opponent's piece from the board. If a piece can move to occupy the location of an opponent's piece, it can capture that piece. The '''pawn''', can only capture by moving diagonally forward one square. A piece is said to be undefended if it has no piece &quot;supporting&quot; its position - i.e., preventing an opponent from capturing it by threat of losing his attacking piece.<br /> <br /> ====Special Moves====<br /> *'''Castling'''- When a player has no pieces between a rook and his king, and he has not moved either piece, he can move the king two squares in the direction of the rook, and then place the rook on the square that the king passed over. A player cannot castle if the King is currently in check, would be in check after castling, or would move through a square which is under attack.<br /> *'''en passant'''- French for &quot;In passing.&quot; In chess, if a player pushes his pawn far down to the end of the board, and his opponent pushes a starting pawn 2 spaces ahead, to put the pawn on the same row to avoid confrontation, the player may choose to invoke the &quot;en passant&quot; move, which treats the enemy pawn as though it had only moved one space. The player may capture diagonally on the square '''behind''' the enemy pawn, and remove the enemy pawn. The principle is that the two space rule for a pawn's first move cannot be used to avoid confrontation between two pawns. However, the player may only invoke &quot;en passant&quot; on the first turn after the opponent pushes his pawn. He cannot make it after than turn.<br /> <br /> ===The end of the game===<br /> The game ends either with one player winning by checkmating his opponent's king, or by the loser resigning, signified by toppling his king over instead of moving, or in a draw with neither player winning.<br /> <br /> ====Checkmate====<br /> Checkmate is achieved when the following conditions are met. <br /> * The King is directly attacked by an opponent's piece. (Check) <br /> * Every square that the King can move to is also attacked by an opponent's piece. <br /> * The Piece that is attacking the King cannot be captured. <br /> * Another Piece cannot be moved in between to cut off the attack on the King.<br /> When the King is checkmated, The game is over, and the player who checkmated the other player's king is the winner.<br /> <br /> ====Draw====<br /> There are several ways that the game can end in a draw. One of these is stalemate, which is described below. Additionally, the players can mutually agree to a draw, or a draw can be claimed if each player has made fifty consecutive moves without a pawn move or a capture, or if the same position has appeared on the board three times.<br /> <br /> =====Stalemate=====<br /> A player is stalemated when he cannot make a legal move, and is not in check.<br /> <br /> ==Notation==<br /> Chess notation is used to record the moves of a chess game. This has several uses. Notation can be used to record games for review at a later time. There are two major methods of chess notation, Algebraic and Descriptive.<br /> <br /> ====For all forms of Notation====<br /> The notation for a chess game is taken like this. At the top of the page are the players &amp;mdash; white listed first &amp;mdash; with their names under their colors. Numbers go down the left side of the page to indicate the move number. (see below) &lt;BR&gt;<br /> White, Black&lt;BR&gt;<br /> Name Name<br /> 1.&lt;BR&gt;<br /> 2.&lt;BR&gt;<br /> 3.&lt;BR&gt;<br /> 4.&lt;BR&gt;<br /> 5.&lt;BR&gt;<br /> <br /> Moves are recorded in columns, separated by commas.<br /> <br /> Space is usually allotted on the top of tournament scoresheets to record the date and location of the game, and sometimes to record the time limit and opening name.<br /> <br /> =====Pieces=====<br /> Each piece is designated by its corresponding letter as follows:<br /> K = King&lt;BR&gt;<br /> Q = Queen&lt;BR&gt;<br /> R = Rook&lt;BR&gt;<br /> B = Bishop&lt;BR&gt;<br /> N = Knight&lt;BR&gt;<br /> P = Pawn<br /> <br /> =====Moves=====<br /> - Moves to<br /> x Captures<br /> + Check<br /> ++ Checkmate<br /> 0-0 Castles king-side<br /> 0-0-0 Castles queen-side<br /> e.p. en passant<br /> / to indicate which square a piece moved from (only when needed to clarify)<br /> /Q Pawn promotion. (use /Q for queen, /R for rook, etc.)<br /> ! A good move<br /> !! A very good move<br /> !? An interesting move<br /> ?! A dubious move<br /> ? A questionable move<br /> ?? A blunder<br /> <br /> ===Algebraic===<br /> Algebraic is the more commonly used method of notation. [[Image:Chessboardanote1.jpg|right]]<br /> <br /> ====The Board====<br /> In algebraic notation, each file is assigned a letter, and each rank is assigned a number. Each square is designated by the letter and number from it's rank and file. a1 is the square in the bottom left corner for the white player.<br /> <br /> ====Movement====<br /> Moves are recorded by indicating the piece to be moved followed by a hyphen (-) and the square it is to be moved to. Example if white wants to move his night out and to the left to start the game the notation would be: <br /> White Black <br /> 1. N-f3, ....<br /> <br /> In algebraic notation, a P is not used to indicate the pawn. A pawn move is implied when no piece is indicated. So if white wants to advance his king pawn 2 squares, and black responds by advancing his king pawn 2 squares, the notation would be:<br /> White Black <br /> 1. e4, e5,<br /> 2. ....<br /> <br /> ===Descriptive===<br /> <br /> == Strategy==<br /> ===Moves which win material===<br /> There are several basic types of moves that win material.<br /> ====The Fork====<br /> When a player makes a move which attacks 2 of his opponent's pieces simultaneously with one piece of his own, it is called a '''fork'''. This forces his opponent to essentially, choose which piece he will lose. Knights are especially adept at Forking because their method of movement allows them to attack any other kind of piece without being under attack from that piece. Forks in which the enemy King is one of the pieces under attack are especially effective because they force the opponent to move the king, leaving no choice as to which piece to move. While the knight is the most adept at forking, all of the other pieces are capable of it.<br /> <br /> <br /> ====The Pin====<br /> When a player makes a move so that an opponent's piece is in between his attacking piece and another more valuable enemy piece, the move is called a '''&quot;pin&quot;'''. Pinning creates a situation in which the opponent cannot move the piece in question without losing the more valuable piece behind it, effectively &quot;pinning&quot; the piece. A pinned piece can be easily taken.<br /> <br /> ====The Skewer====<br /> The Skewer is the opposite of the pin. When a player makes a move so that an opponent's valuable piece is directly between his attacking piece and another of the opponents less valuable pieces it is called a skewer. The Skewer forces the opponent to move his more valuable piece out of the way which allows the player to capture the less valuable piece behind it. This especially effective when the King is the skewered piece because the it leaves the opponent with no choice.<br /> <br /> ===Other Strategy===<br /> ====Doubling Rooks====<br /> Placing both Rooks together in a rank or file with no pieces in between is a powerful method of attack, because each rook defends the other.<br /> <br /> ====Sacrificing====<br /> When a player intentionally allows one of his own pieces to be taken in exchange for better position, this is called '''Sacrificing'''. Often, the piece is offered in an attempt to get the players opponent to weaken his own defenses by capturing with a piece that had been in a good defensive position. Morphy was well known for his games featuring many sacrifices, as was [[Mikhail Tal]], a Latvian who was briefly world champion in the 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Chess Variants==<br /> There are a number of games based on chess with rule variations, and these are referred to as ''chess variants''. One of the most popular of these is ''Bughouse'', a partner-based game in which a player who captures his opponent's piece can give it to a partner on another board to drop on a square of his choosing. Another is ''Kriegspiel'', a game in which a player can see his pieces but not that of his opponent. [http://www.chessvariants.com/incinf.dir/kriegspiel.html] A simpler variant is ''Antichess'', which is also called ''Suicide chess'', in which a player must make a capturing move if any legal captures exist on the board, and in which the goal is to run out of pieces first.<br /> <br /> In 1996, [[Bobby Fischer]] introduced a variant called FischerRandom Chess, which involves scrambling the positions of the pieces on the first and eighth ranks before starting play. A number of rules govern the precise manner in which the pieces can be arranged; for example, the king must be somewhere between the two rooks, so that castling to either side is still possible, and the black and white positions must mirror one another. The rules provide for 960 possible starting positions, and for this reason the game is sometimes called Chess960. Fischer hoped his variant would encourage creative thinking and avoid the memorization associated with opening play in modern chess.<br /> <br /> ==Computer Chess==<br /> Deep Blue, a computer developed by IBM, was the first computer to beat a human world champion in 1997, when it defeated Garry Kasparov in a six game series. This series was a rematch of 1996 series which Kasparov won, although Deep Blue had been upgraded since the first series. It should be noted that during this second match, Deep Blue was also upgraded between games to avoid falling into the same type of trap more than once.<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> :[http://www.fide.com/ FIDE] - World Chess Federation<br /> :[http://www.uschess.org USCF] - United States Chess Federation<br /> :[http://www.iccf.com/ ICCF] - International Correspondence Chess Federation<br /> :[http://www.chess-players.org/eng/index.html ACP] - Association of Chess Professionals<br /> :[http://www.freechess.org FICS] - Free Internet Chess Server<br /> <br /> [[Category:Chess]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Chess&diff=351633 2007-12-13T18:27:21Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>Articles about or relating to the game of Chess.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Board games]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Category:Africa&diff=351629 2007-12-13T18:24:14Z

<p>Moronicorbit: add category</p> <hr /> <div>'''Africa''' is a [[continent]] in the [[Eastern Hemisphere]], located south of the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:Continents]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Perennial_stream&diff=351581 2007-12-13T17:01:00Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>A '''Perennial stream''' is a [[stream]] or reach of a stream that normally flows continuously throughout the year.<br /> <br /> ==References== <br /> [http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/1997/summary_report/glossary.html List of USDA terminology]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Rivers]]<br /> {{USDA_Terms}}</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Kosovo&diff=351580 2007-12-13T16:59:05Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Kosovo ref01.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Kosovo]]<br /> '''Kosovo''' is a region in the south of [[Serbia]]. The area has been under [[United Nations]] administration since 1999 because of conflict stemming from the desire for independence. Kosovo's population is mostly ethnic-Albanian, a stark contrast to the rest of the population of Serbia.<br /> <br /> Like [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], and [[Bosnia]], Kosovo tried to break off from the former [[Yugoslavia]] in the 1990s. Serbian resistance led to the [[Kosovo War]], with both the United Nations and [[NATO]] intervening to stop violence.<br /> <br /> Kosovo's future is still uncertain. There is not set date for United Nations administration to end, but until recently it was thought that it would soon become an independent state. The agreement which ended the Kosovo War essentially severed all of Kosovo's ties with the state of Serbia, which no longer has governing authority in the territory. In addition, Kosovo has had territory-wide elections for a legislature, President, and Prime Minister. Recent negotiations have been stalled due to Russia's support of Serbian sovereignty over Kosovo.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Disputed Territories]]<br /> [[Category:Europe]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Balkans&diff=351579 2007-12-13T16:58:42Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Balkans.png|thumb|200px|right|Highlighted area represents the Balkans]]<br /> The '''Balkans''' are the countries occupying the Balkan Peninsula. [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Macedonia]], [[Serbia]], [[Montenegro]], [[Romania]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Albania]], [[Greece]], &amp; [[Turkey]] in [[Europe]]. The region derives its name from the Balkan [[mountain]] range in Bulgaria. Note that on the map, most of Turkey as well as the faraway Greek islands are excluded. This is because &quot;Balkan&quot; is a geographic term, rather than a political one.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Europe]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Nauru&diff=351578 2007-12-13T16:57:11Z

<p>Moronicorbit: remove category it's not a continent</p> <hr /> <div>'''Nauru''' is an island nation in the South [[Pacific Ocean]]. It has a population of about 12,000 people.&lt;ref&gt;CIA World Factbook&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Once upon a time it was quite rich, because of all the mining of [[guano]] that took place, but now that the guano is nearly all gone the island is quite poor. It largely depends on [[Australia]].&lt;ref&gt;CIA World Factbook&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Oceanian Countries]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Low_Countries&diff=351576 2007-12-13T16:54:16Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Low Countries''' is a term used to denote collectively [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]] and the [[Netherlands]]. These countries are also collectively referred to by the term Benelux, coined in 1949 when the Netherlands joined the existing Belgium-Luxembourg [[customs union]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:Europe]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Sea_of_Okhotsk&diff=351575 2007-12-13T16:52:51Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Sea of Okhotsk''' is a body of [[water]] between eastern [[Russia]] and the [[Kuril Islands]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:Seas]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Aegean_Sea&diff=351574 2007-12-13T16:51:50Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Aegean Sea''' is a branch of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. It is located between Asia Minor and the Greek [[peninsula]] and is approximately 380 miles long and 186 miles wide.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Seas]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Irish_Sea&diff=351572 2007-12-13T16:50:42Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>The '''Irish Sea''' is an extension of the [[Atlantic Ocean]], between the Islands of [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]]. It stretches from the [[Celtic Sea]] in the South, to the [[North Channel]] between [[Scotland]] and [[Northern Ireland]] in the North. Roughly in the centre of the Irish Sea, lies the [[UK]] dependancy, the [[Isle of Man]] (Ellan Vallin in the [[Manx]] Language).<br /> <br /> [[Category:Seas]]</div>

Moronicorbit https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Dead_Sea&diff=351571 2007-12-13T16:49:53Z

<p>Moronicorbit: change category</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Deadsea1.jpg|right|thumb|[[NASA]] image of the Dead Sea]]<br /> <br /> The '''Dead Sea''' is located in [[Israel]] and [[Jordan]], about 15 miles east of [[Jerusalem]]. It is extremely deep (averaging about 1,000 feet), salty (some parts containing the highest amount of salts possible), and the lowest body of water in the world. The Dead Sea is supplied by a number of smaller streams, springs, and the Jordan River.<br /> <br /> Because of its low elevation and its position in a deep basin, the climate of the Dead Sea area is unusual. Its very high evaporation does produce a haze yet its atmospheric humidity is low. Adjacent areas to it are very arid and favorable for the preservation of materials like the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]].<br /> <br /> The Bible's description, in Genesis 19, of a destructive earthquake near the Dead Sea area during the time of [[Abraham]] is borne out by archaeological and historic investigation. While no evidence remains of the five cities of the plain (Zeboim, Admah, Bela or Zoar, Sodom, and Gomorrah) their sites are believed to be beneath the waters at the southern end of the sea.<br /> <br /> Archaeological sites near the Dead Sea include Masada, Ein Gedi, and Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found).<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> * [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/biblephotos/3 Photographs of Scriptural Sites] Judaean Wilderness and the Dead Sea, scriptures.lds.org<br /> <br /> [[Category:Seas]]</div>

Moronicorbit