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Cricket dumped from C'wealth Games agenda

Organisers of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester plan to drop one-day cricket but Rugby Sevens, hockey and netball will remain, the New Zealand Olympic Committee said.

Organisers have finalised a list of 14 individual sports and three team sports they planned to host, New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Michael Hooper said on his return from a fact-finding mission to Manchester.

Formal decisions on the sports to be included in the Games are not due to be made by the general assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation until October.

''One-day cricket has been excluded from the programme... but judo, table tennis, triathlon and wrestling have been added,'' said the committee, which also handles Commonwealth Games matters in New Zealand.

Team sports made their debut at last year's Kuala Lumpur Games, although netball had been a demonstration sport at the Auckland Games in 1990.

South Africa took the cricket gold medal but the matches were not officially recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The ICC has suggested an eight-a-side short version of the one-day game be played in Manchester.

At one stage, the Manchester organisers had suggested that only one team sport be hosted there -- netball.

Despite dropping cricket, Hooper said the addition of other individual sports would make Manchester the biggest Commonwealth Games ever.

UNI