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Townsville teenager Laura Bates and Cairns policewoman Kelly Klibbe will bolster the Konica Minolta Queensland Fire team for their must-win Women’ National Cricket League series against the Western Fury at Allan Border Field this weekend.The regional duo were named today in a 14-player squad for the weekend matches, with Queensland’s hopes of featuring in the Finals this season hinging on a clean-sweep against the Fury.Bates, 18, will make her Queensland debut if she plays while Klibbe, a Queensland regular since 1997-98, will make her first appearance this season after being transferred to Cairns earlier this year.Bates, a right-arm off-spinner, was an Australian U-17 honour selection last season.Both players are members of the Queensland Academy of Sport regional program.The Fury produced a major upset last weekend when they defeated defending champions Victoria in Melbourne by two wickets.Former Queensland pace bowler Cindy Kross, who shifted to Perth in the off-season, will make her return to Brisbane with the Fury, which are captained by former Australian player Zoe Goss.Kross played 38 matches for the Fire, taking 39 wickets at 21.54, and winning the player of the year award two years ago.Both one-day games start at 10am, with admission free.Konica Minolta Queensland Fire v Western Fury, Allan Border Field, Sat,Sun: Melissa Bulow (Captain), Laura Bates, Reanna Browne, Tricia Brown, Sally Cooper, Kelly Klibbe, Renee Lee, Belinda Matheson, Kirsten Pike, Julia Price, Jodie Purves, Leteysha Randall, Rikki-Lee Rimmington, Megan White.

The England spinner Ashley Giles is celebrating the birth of his second child, after being telephoned by his wife with the news in New Zealand.Giles’ Norwegian wife Stine rang him this morning to say that eight-and-a-half-pound Matilde was successfully delivered in hospital near their Droitwich home.”It’s very sad I couldn’t be there, but it’s a special moment for both ofus,” said Giles. “I was on edge all night, waking up every three quarters ofan hour wondering why I hadn’t got the call.”I’m sure there has been a lot of emotional strain on her, but she kept ithidden from me very well and that has helped because it’s been tough for mehere.”She told me to concentrate on my cricket and even last night when she wasgoing into labour, she apologised for interrupting a team meal. That shows thedepths she’s gone to to make things easy for me.”Stine is back at home now and she held Matilde to the phone so I’ve heard her cry for the first time. I have another one to play for and it does give you a lift.”It’s an emotional moment and I will probably always remember being in Napier. Stine has taken lots of pictures of her. I can’t wait to see them if she can get them out to me.”

Heavy overnight rain has left the Bagh-e-Jinnah ground in Lahore saturated, causing a delay to the start of play on the second day of England’s match against the Pakistan Cricket Board XI.An inspection is due to be made after lunch and if conditions are favourable, England will resume their innings on 76 for two. The PCB XI were dismissed for 117 shortly before tea on the first day.

Everton’s worst nightmares are beginning to be realised, with the club flirting with the relegation zone and the prospect of losing both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison a plausible one.

Should the club fail to secure their Premier League status, it seems eminently possible that Frank Lampard will be sacked, and the biggest rebuild of their modern day history would then need to commence.

However, due to Financial Fair Play issues, their next manager – or Lampard if he keeps them in the top flight – may be forced into moulding a number of youth academy stars as a key part of the rebuild, including striker Lewis Dobbin, who has been in good form for the under-23 team. If the club lose the aforementioned star duo, along with Salomon Rondon and Cenk Tosun, the 19-year-old could find himself being the most senior striker at the club, at least temporarily.

However, if Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri made different decisions back in 2020, it would likely have been Rangers youngster Tony Weston leading the line in the Championship next season, should that be where the Toffees are headed.

Everton reportedly wanted the Liverpool-born striker while he was still just a 16-year-old at Blackpool, and valued at around £250k by the Seasiders, before making the move north of the border.

Now aged 18, he has scored four goals in the UEFA Youth League this season, also netting an impressive 21 goals in the Lowland League for the Glasgow giants’ development team.

Rangers coach Steven Smith called Weston “clinical” after he scored two goals in a Rangers B win over Broomhill earlier in the season, saying: “We created plenty of chances last week and we spoke about getting numbers and getting goals and getting assists.

“Those are things that Tony does get. Today, the chances fell in the right areas and he managed to finish them. We spoke about being clinical and he was certainly that.”

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Although he is still developing, Weston has an abundance of talent which could have been of use to Everton in the coming years, particularly if they are to lose their star strikers this summer amid relegation. It could be one that Moshiri looks back upon as a howler on his part.

In other news: Sold at £1m, now the next Wayne Rooney: Everton had a mare on 20-goal “wrecking ball”

Group C underdogs Ireland face their toughest test of the tournament tonight, when they face current World and European Champions Spain in Gdansk. Aware that a loss would see them crash out of the tournament at an early stage, Trappatoni’s team will have their work cut out in trying to get the result they require.

Meanwhile, Spain have been a little shellshocked after not claiming an expected opening game win against the Italians. Accusations that the pitch was unplayable in their first game have fallen on deaf ears, with some seeing it as an excuse to cover their own backs. The fact is that Spain will be looking to finish the job tonight and a comfortable win over comparative minnows Ireland should be acquired.Team NewsSpainVicente Del Bosque is likely to stick with his much criticised decision to play with no recognisable strikers on the pitch. Despite having Fernando Torres, Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Llorente at his disposal, Del Bosque’s now infamous 4-6-0 formation will probably be the tactic used, allowing Fabregas and Silva to roam around the box and make darting forward runs. Expect the same XI that played Italy to begin this game.IrelandDespite so much pressure from fans to include Sunderland youngster James McClean in the starting XI, Trapattoni looks unlikely to listen and will start with Duff and McGeady out wide. Impressive substitute appearances from Jonathan Walters and Simon Cox mean that the duo are pushing for a start. Darron Gibson may be drafted in after recovering from an injury, replacing either Whelan or Andrews. Finally, after concern earlier in the week, Richard Dunne has been cleared to play after sitting out a training session with blisters.Key PlayersSpain- Cesc FabregasThe man who converted Spain’s only goal of the tournament so far, will likely lead the line for his team. With criticism of Del Bosque and his refusal to use strikers in his formation, many expectant eyes will be on Fabregas; relying on the midfielder to be the paramount goal scoring threat. The former Arsenal captain will find the Irish defence more penetrable than the stubborn Italians so should find himself a handful of convertible chances.Ireland- Robbie KeaneWith calls from many sections of the Irish support to demote their captain to the bench, Keane will need to find his shooting boots if he is to end his disappointing form. With the weight of a countries expectation on his shoulders, the LA Galaxy striker will need to convert any chance he finds. Keane has the credentials but needs to find the back of the net, should his side stand any chance of qualification.Prediction – Spain 2-0 Rep. Of Ireland

Nigel Reo-Coker has stated that his release from Aston Villa came as a shock, and that he will now consider a move to the continent.

The former West Ham player ended 2010/11 as the club’s captain, and he has stated that Gerard Houllier had promised him negotiations over a new deal before becoming ill. Despite this, the Birmingham club released the 27-year-old whilst he was on holiday.

“Before Gerard Houllier was taken ill and left the club, he said he wanted to sit me down this summer and negotiate a new deal. When the season ended, there was no contact from Villa to renegotiate my contract,” the robust midfielder told The Daily Mail.

“We never sat down together, which I was told would happen. While on holiday, I was getting texts from friends and reading tweets I’d been released. I was disappointed. It should’ve been handled better and with more respect.”

The Croydon born man has enforced his agent to look for a new club, with options in Europe being considered.

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“It’s a new chapter. I want to go to a club where I can challenge for things either in the Premier League or abroad. There are options in Europe – and I’m seriously considering them,” he finished.

Following the royal announcement that emerged late on Tuesday morning, the news that Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, are to settle their £220m Payment-in-Kind loans is unlikely to dominate bulletins in the way that New England Sports Ventures’ takeover of Liverpool did in October. Do the Glazers have a direct line to the Clarence House press office? It’s unlikely, and even if they did, wouldn’t they want their surprise announcement to gain as much exposure as possible rather than be lost amidst the stories about Will and Kate and the inevitable array of commemorative plates already being planned?

In truth, instead of pointing to the eventual resolving of the owners’ debt problems and those of Manchester United, the seeing-off of the PiKs raises more questions about the Glazer administration and addresses none of its problems. This is because nobody knows where the money has come from yet. According to a statement by Red Football Joint Venture Ltd (United’s parent company), they will “prepay 100 per cent from the outstanding loan on November 22.” Red Football Joint Venture Ltd do not have to reveal their funding because only Red Football, the club’s operating company, have to publish quarterly accounts, and the repayment of the PiK loans was made the responsibility of the parent company. It’s one of those peculiarities of business law with which the modern day football fan is becoming increasingly acquainted.

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The Glazers took out the PiK loans in 2005 when they bought United and, despite being renegotiated the following year, they had been tied to an intimidating interest rate of 16.25%. The fear, exacerbated by the terms of a bond issue in January, was that the Americans would take up their option to withdraw up to £70m from the club’s own accounts to help repay the PiKs. As the loans were taken out by the family and so were not the club’s official responsibility to repay, this clause permitting the Glazers to divert funds away from team restrengthening in order to lighten their own financial burden was what triggered the green and gold protests at Old Trafford in the second half of last season and saw the membership of the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) swell to over 150,000. However, on the day that Manchester United’s quarterly accounts were published, the board were adamant that none of the club’s money had been withdrawn by the Glazers in this instance. As a caveat, the accounts do only cover the period up to September 30, but the board must be taken on their word.

Where else might the money have come from? The Guardian suggests three possibilities. The Glazers could simply have taken out another loan with which to repay their existing debts (the daytime television route). Another suggestion is that a small stake in United could have been sold to a third party. Finally, the owners could have traded in one of their US business interests, although this is deemed the least likely option.

Although MUST are promising to present the Glazers with a list of questions regarding United’s finances very soon, a clearer explanation of what is happening at United is unlikely to come easily if the Americans are under no obligation to say how they have managed to repay the PiK loans. The news that club funds can be ruled out appears to be positive but if the loans have merely been replaced in kind or paid off via an unnamed source of investment then the benefits to United of having the PiKs removed from the equation become less clear. Regardless of the repayment next week, however, the club’s gross debt, the legacy of the Glazers’ leveraged buyout, still stands at £509m according to the latest figures. That is a very slight reduction on the amount three months ago but nowhere near enough for United fans to start celebrating over.

Follow William Abbs on Twitter.

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He’s a canny old so and so that Monsieur Wenger. After the Frenchman delved deep into the memory banks to pull out such a memorable gem of a comment this weekend stating ‘They (the Stoke fans) have a relationship with me, but I don’t have one with them’ the Arsenal manager has irked the overtures of Team GB boss Stuart Pearce by stating midfielder Jack Wilshere might not be fit even for the start of the next Premier League campaign. It has been a disappointing season of toil and struggle for the 20-year-old who hasn’t been able to build on his burgeoning reputation after suffering a recurring stress fracture, following a sparkling full debut campaign.

Whilst Wenger knows the state of his players more than most, you just can’t help the sense that he is building up the situation simply for the good of his team next time out. And who can blame him? Wenger has had a previous number of run in’s, like many managers with international bodies surrounding their treatment of his domestic stars, no less than in 2009 when Robin Van Persie was cleared to play in a Netherlands friendly with Italy, only to suffer ligament damage after a challenge by Giorgio Chiellini and he missed the rest of the entire season, proving costly in Arsenal’s title charge.

Whilst Wilshere must be itching to detach himself from his keyboard and Twitter in particularly, and embrace a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at London 2012, it cannot be overstated how much care needs to be employed when dealing with his comeback. As expectant fans, we all want to see the best talents playing for our country as soon as possible but patience is certainly a virtue we don’t always possess and you can see why Wenger has been displeased by Wilshere’s presence on Stuart Pearce’s 80-man provisional Team GB squad list. Wenger told BBC Sport.

‘I do not want to set the Olympics as a target because I do not know whether Jack will be fit to start at the beginning of the season’.

There’s not always been enough careful precaution taken with specific talents over the years with fans impatience transmitting to the management to fast-track them back into competition. We all saw in the case of Dean Ashton how temperamental long-term injuries can be with his anticipated involvement in the England squad being scuppered most famously in August 2006 where he broke his left ankle in training, proving to be a setback he just couldn’t shake fully before retiring early in 2009. Although Wilshere is younger, perhaps more hungry and itching to display his patriotism and camaraderie at national team level, you just cannot put the pressure on a young man’s head to come back and deliver immediately.

Whilst Arsenal fans and England onlookers hope and pray Wilshere’s injury troubles aren’t as deep-rooted as Ashton’s, what is true is that he must overcome this first injury successfully before any real talk of resuming a successful-looking future can surface once more. I don’t aim to scaremonger, but it would be an incredible shame if Wilshere’s legacy was to be remembered as just one full season. Wilshere has arguably been the greatest and flamboyant English talent to emerge since Wayne Rooney’s breakthrough and the latter is evidence that injury troubles can be defeated if hard work and dedication are to be employed.

But back to Wenger and international-domestic disputes in general; it is an aged truth of football nowadays that Premier League bosses are often riled by the careless selections from international realms. It is evidence of the lesser attachment to international football that many fans of respective clubs still condemn decisions to select their pros whose well-being at home isn’t considered fully first. The role of an international manager is often scrutinised as popping between ground to ground, casting a slender eye over a handful of performances and selecting a squad based on a lack of in-depth knowledge.

Using this complex, Pearce’s information surrounding Wilshere’s condition has been at odds with Wenger’s assessment but the latter will inevitably always put his club first. Given Wilshere’s potential long-term and expectation to flourish once more if he overcomes injury, it is imperative that he receives the utmost care and attention this summer. It may be painstaking for the youngster to miss out on Euro 2012 and London 2012 this year, but at 20, Wilshere shouldn’t be naïve in that he has plenty of years ahead of him and has an adequate period of time to remind football fans just how talented a footballer he is.

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Was Stuart Pearce ill-advised to select Wilshere in his provisional squad? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989

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Leeds have confirmed 16-year old winger Elliot Kebbie is set to leave the club, according to the Daily Mail.

The youngster has spent 8 years at the academy but has turned down the offer of a scholarship with the club in order to join the youth ranks of Barcelona.

Kebbie had a trial at Manchester United last year and it was believed the two clubs had agreed a £1 million compensation package. However, the Halifax-born winger looks set to snub United for the European Champions and has already reportedly moved to Catalonia with his mother.

Leeds will be due compensation for the player who becomes the latest product of the club’s academy to leave for a bigger club at a young age. Tottenham duo Danny Rose and Aaron Lennon left at a similar age whilst Chelsea paid a reported £5 million in compensation for Tom Taiwo and Michael Woods.

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The move represents a change in policy for a club who normally criticise the poaching of players at such a young age. Barcelona lost both Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique to England at a similar age and will see Kebbie’s as an exciting prospect for the future.

Liverpool have appointed former Spurs sporting director Damien Comolli as their new director of football strategy.

The Frenchman has been drafted in to oversee the club's recruitment strategy overseas, with manager Roy Hodgson keen to continue to strengthen his Anfield squad.

Hodgson told the club's official website:"I am looking forward to working with Damien, whom I have known for many years.

"We are engaged in an exciting project here and he will bring a lot to the table.

"We all want to see moves to strengthen the squad and support player development over the next few years. John Henry and I are totally united in delivering on that ambition."

Comolli himself added:"I am delighted to be joining Liverpool and look forward to working with John and Roy.

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"I think we all realise there is a big job ahead, but we all share the vision that John has for rebuilding the club and bringing back the success that the supporters deserve."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email