ay that will be forever remembered in the thrilling se

What has the past week been like for you, seeing the reaction to your decision to retire? I guess the best way to put it is it has been very mixed emotions. There was a lot of thought to get to that position of actually making the decision, but its one thing actually thinking about it, and following through is something else. Im at peace with the decision and Im happy with it, but at the same time theres obviously a part of me thats going to miss the game and miss representing Scotland and leading the team. Im only 29 and thats still relatively young in cricketing terms. I know theres quite a bit that I still could have given the game, but its the decision Ive decided to go with.Are you surprised at all by the reaction that has come through from some quarters, in terms of the magnitude of a national team captain retiring at 29? I didnt know that so many people would care. Its incredible some of the messages Ive received - from all over the world, quite literally. Theres quite a few people who care what Ive done, although I dont think [what I did was] very much, but they care. I guess they care for what I represented in terms of cricket and the things and values that I stood up for, and hopefully Ill continue to do so, and hopefully all of this isnt in vain. But its been pleasantly surprising. I was genuinely overwhelmed by the response and the kindness of peoples messages.Was there any one overriding factor in your decision? Many players have stopped playing to pursue other opportunities in the corporate world, but you have spoken of the lack of cricket opportunities. I can say categorically that this wasnt a financial decision at all. It came down to, as you say, what the job involved. What was there on a day-to-day basis to keep me motivated and keep me driven to want to keep going in the game? I was spending far more time on the training pitch and the nets and the gym than I was in between the stumps. As a professional cricketer, that was very frustrating.My first central contract with Scotland, we were playing very busy schedules, being part of the CB40 and the Pro40 down in England, which was brilliant for us. That, and being part of their 2nd XI competition, is where I learnt most of my cricket. So the summers were really busy and you were pretty much focused on playing, training, playing, training. There was a bit of structure involved to your summer. As with any job, you need to have that sort of carrot there that motivates you. You need to have that structure. In the last 12 months, certainly, thats not been there and unfortunately that has made my decision easier. I cant see that pathway for me over the next 12-18 months that can keep me in and drive me forward, and thats what has led to my decision.You once mentioned the opportunities for Associates in Asia with the Asia Cup Qualifier - Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, Hong Kong - and you wondered why Europe couldnt organise something similar among Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland for the chance to play England. Did you feel that was a collective failure of all those European administrators, or of Cricket Scotland, or does the blame lie somewhere else? I dont know where the blame lies for the lack of proactivity in those sorts of ideas and concepts there. As an outsider looking in, it must look ridiculous that that sort of thing doesnt go on, with Ireland literally a 40-minute flight away, Holland the same. It cant be a financial thing. The opportunities are there and thats the thing that becomes so frustrating for me, especially recently. Not just me, numerous people have spoken up and been very vocal about the lack of playing, the lack of game time, and its quite literally like youre banging your head against a brick wall, because theres so much talk.They will have another board meeting, then call another in three months, then another, and nothing is ever achieved. Yes, things are spoken about, yes, theyll throw a little bit of money to try to keep people quiet, but throwing money at the problem is not the issue. There needs to be some proactive leadership, somebody within [the ICC] whos actually going to take control of the game and address this issue. If you look at World Rugby and the way thats run, they have to take inspiration from that. Looking at Japan, the way theyve performed recently; Georgia; Argentina; Italy beating South Africa [for first time in history on November 19]. That hasnt just happened. Argentina put their case forward to join the Tri-Nations. There are various ways of doing it.There has been so much support and enthusiasm surrounding Ireland and Afghanistan that, in some ways, if administrators want to pay lip service to supporting Associate cricket, they draw attention to those two teams. Do you feel that the focus on Ireland and Afghanistan has unfairly crowded out opportunities for Scotland and other Associates? I wouldnt say its unfair. I have full respect for what Ireland and Afghanistan have done and what they are continuing to do in world cricket. It is very disheartening, though, that when Afghanistan came over earlier this year we got [only] two days of cricket against them. It was a major thing for us even to get them over [to Scotland], even though they were going to Ireland. From what I understand, it was a last-minute thing. We had to plead for them to come and eventually they agreed to two days of cricket. Then they went to Ireland and played five days of cricket, and then a week later you read in the paper that Ireland are going to India in March to play against Afghanistan [for five ODIs, three T20Is and a four-day match] and youre looking at 12 days of cricket. Were crying out for more than 12 days of cricket in the year.So that was really like a kick in the stomach. I know theyve performed in recent times, but as recent results in the Associate world show, Afghanistan and Ireland have been beaten by numerous Associates in the last 12-18 months. I wouldnt say its as clear-cut as Ireland and Afghanistan just being the standout top two teams in Associate cricket. Yes, they are at that top sort of level, but on any given day they can lose to other Associate teams, which in itself is a credit to the depth in international cricket. But, for some reason, people arent interested in exploiting that depth, bringing that depth to the surface and making people aware that its there.So the issue for you is that there is parity in terms of results but not parity in terms of opportunities? You could sum it up like that, yes.For Scotland, it is not merely a lack of opportunities against Full Members but a lack of opportunities more generally that has had an impact? Yes. My view, in terms of trying to create that structure and that pathway, is that its important that Associates are put up against Full Members, but I dont think thats the only cricket they should be waiting to play. I think its vital that they are getting that number of days of cricket in the year so that they are able to experiment, try different things, grow as teams and as individuals, so that every time they do come around to playing a Full Member, they are in a far better position. Waiting every four years to play a Full Member is not the answer; what happens in between the World Cups is important. When youre not being exposed to Full Members in between World Cups and then you go to a World Cup and youre expected to perform and you dont, then its easy to point at the Associates and say, You dont belong here.From the 2011 World Cup through qualification to the start of the 2015 World Cup, you had exactly four ODIs against Full Members. Then, since the 2015 World Cup, you havent had a single match against a Full Member outside of the 2016 World T20. As of now there is nothing in the pipeline either. Qualifying for a ten-team 2019 World Cup is a long shot. You played in the 2015 World Cup at the age of 27 and you theoretically might not get another chance to play a Full Member in an ODI before the 2023 World Cup, by when you would be 35. Did that time gap factor into your decision to quit? Your stats say it all. Playing on average one a year, and now that you say that we havent played a single Full Member ODI since the 2015 World Cup, that just makes me feel sick, really. For us, going to the 2015 World Cup was a massive turning point in Scotlands development and we performed respectably. You would think that would be the platform for us to kick on and make use of that experience, but theres not been the infrastructure that has allowed us to do that. For me, at this age, when youve learned your game far better than you had done when you were 22 or 23, you want to be playing as much as possible to maximise all the skills that you have learned. So that has obviously come into it - that Im not able to capitalise on that at this time because of the lack of actually playing.It comes back to what we were speaking about at the beginning. In any line of work, you want to see where youre going, you want that pathway, you want those opportunities to be able to prove yourself, develop and kick on to the next level. In work life, youre probably looking for a promotion. Its not much different in cricket. Youre looking to prove yourself. As a leader of an emerging nation, theres so many things you want to prove and try and do, but if the pathway and structure isnt there to do it, then you find yourself looking for a career move. Well, in my particular case, thats what happened.You said you werent motivated by money. Can you say how much you were making with a Scotland central contract versus how much youll make with your new job? The difference is, I know I have career prospects. I can see the pathway for me, the opportunity for me to move in the business within the line of work Im going into - and the line of work Im going into is something Im very passionate about. It is my passion after cricket. Its what I studied, so it does interest me, which is what was attractive about the opportunity. Its a good company Im going to and there are good career prospects, which is what led me to make the jump, whereas I couldnt see where I would be in two years time if I carried on playing cricket. As a professional sportsman, you sacrifice quite important years in a business or corporate life. That came into my thinking as well. I didnt want to fall too far behind, so I saw this jump as an investment [of time] into my second career.Whats the thing youll miss most about playing cricket or representing Scotland? I think thats it - just representing Scotland. I still cant believe the things that Ive been able to do and the things Ive done. Im incredibly grateful to have had all the opportunities. I could never have imagined that I would actually captain Scotland when I moved over here as an 18-year-old. Travelling the world, playing the game you love, Im obviously going to miss that. Theres no question about that. Being part of a team where the improvement is tangible. I joined Scotland in 2010. Come 2014, we hadnt been to a World Cup since 2007 and the progress of the team through that period from 2010 to now is tangible. You can see the skill level. If you take the time to watch, the guys are extremely dynamic now. Im going to miss that part of it, the high-performance environment.Over the summer against UAE, you, Kyle Coetzer and Richie Berrington all passed 1000 ODI runs on the same day and you said you had ambitions to be the first Scotland player to reach 2000 ODI runs. What led you to go from that kind of goal to pulling the plug three months later? Well, how many days of [international] cricket have I played since that day? The answer is two, because I was injured for a [third] game. As a cricketer, theres so much that goes through your mind. Theres a lot of worry about what will you do post career and when youre not involved on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis with a team. So just having all that vacant time has forced me to think about things, to gain different perspectives, and ultimately I went exploring. I met as many people as I could to try to get some work experience. That was my initial actual plan, to try and get some work experience while there was quite a bit of downtime. I met the owner of a very good company and she got back to me and said there was an opening and she thought Id be great for the role. One thing led to the next and it just all made sense to me.Some people I tell this to think Im absolutely mad, and Ive had to ask myself hundreds of times in the last few weeks before actually making this decision, trying to question myself: What are you doing? Youve worked so hard to get to this point. Youve sacrificed so many things, devoted your whole life to becoming a professional cricketer, trying to compete with the best and actually achieving something, getting to that level, getting to a position of leadership of your country. To be willing to sacrifice all of that, Ive had to ask myself if Im being crazy or if Im just having a bad day. But it really just was clear to me after weeks of thinking that this was the right decision.Is there anything that Cricket Scotland or the ICC could say or do to change your mind? I dont want to be pessimistic but, with the timescales for that to be implemented, the way they [the ICC] talk about things and the way they dont actually follow through with the things that have been discussed, I just wouldnt believe that would happen. Hopefully Im wrong. Hopefully it does happen and guys can benefit from those experiences and being exposed to that sort of cricket, but I just wouldnt believe it if they said that now.But I do appreciate I wouldnt have gone to a World Cup or two World Cups and had this career if it wasnt for the ICC and what they do. But from my experiences and being involved and being exposed to Associate cricket and Full Member cricket, I can see so much potential in the Associates and it just frustrates me that other people dont see that as an opportunity for the game to grow.When you say other people, what or who do you mean? The people who govern the game. So regardless of the broadcast interests and financial implications, you feel it is incumbent upon the governors of the game to legislate or mandate opportunities for Associate teams for the good of the game, regardless of what a TV rights bidder may say? Yes. I know at the end of the day it comes down to money. I dont know the exact numbers, but I know theres a lot of money floating around. Everyone knows that. If they could just allocate those resources slightly better, slightly more efficiently, I think that would go a long way to increase the speed of development within these nations. As Ive said previously, its not just throwing sums of money. Its creating schedules, its creating structures, development programmes that are actually beneficial.Youve had an impressive career - you were the ICCs Associate Player of the Year for 2014, you led Scotland to a World Cup, a World T20 and a first victory at a major ICC event, but do you feel you might be more famous or gain more notoriety for the manner of your retirement than for your career? Hopefully not. I genuinely didnt think this would have much bearing. I knew that there would be some questions asked, but I didnt think to this extent.I think its been pleasing that the responses Ive had, 90% of them are regarding my efforts for Scotland on the pitch, off the pitch and as a leader, which is hugely satisfying. Im very grateful for those messages. It makes me very happy that people have recognised that Ive given a huge amount to Scottish cricket, and I hope to do so in the future from an off-the-field point of view. But, of course, people have also recognised the fact that I have spoken out and my doing this is, I guess, a form of speaking out. But hopefully I will be remembered for what I did on the field when representing Scotland. Swell Wood Bottle Ireland .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Swell Water Bottle Deals . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.swellwaterbottleireland.com/ . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Swell Bottles Ireland . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Swell Bottle Ireland . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. (STATS) -- It was clutch, miraculous and just enough to get Youngstown State back to a place it used to go to frequently:The FCS national championship game.Redshirt junior tight end Kevin Rader caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Wells with 1 second remaining to lift Youngstown State to a 40-38 victory over No. 2 seed Eastern Washington in a national semifinal Saturday at frigid Roos Field in Cheney, Washington.The Penguins (12-3) will play No. 4 seed James Madison (13-1) in the national final Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas. Although they are appearing in the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, the program won four FCS (then NCAA Division I-AA) national titles in the 1990s and has been the runner-up twice. They are 29-7 all-time in the playoffs.The winning drive came after Eastern Washington (12-2) took a 38-34 lead on wide receiver Shaq Hills 1-yard run with 4:24 left.Following a squib kick by Eastern Washington, the Penguins drove 58 yards on 11 plays. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Rader caught his winning touchdown in the rear of the Eagles end zone when he wrapped his right arm under linebacker Ketner Kupps arm and secured the football on the defenders back with his feet on the ground before he was pushed out of bounds.They played it very well, that linebacker walled me off. He played it pretty much perfect, Rader said. I saw the ball in the air and I made the play on it.I didnt have a good look at it, YSU second-year coach Bo Pelini said. All I could hear is the guys right next to me going, He caught it, he caught it, he caught it.An officials review of the play confirmed the touchdown. Ahead 40-38, the Penguins took a knee on the extra point to avoid risking a blocked kick that Eastern Washington could return for two points. On the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles went through a number of laterals before the Penguins downed Cooper Kupp with the ball to end the game.It was a heck of a football game. A real crazy way to end it, Pelini said. We had guys making plays all night, they had guys making plays in tough conditions.Tevin McCaster rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns and the Penguins won despite facing as much as a two-touchdown deficit (24-10) in the second quarter.The Penguins also overcame a tumultuous week in which there were reports of key players being suspended for the semifinal because of possitive NCAA drug tests following the teams second-round win over Jacksonville State on Dec.dddddddddddd 3.While Pelini and school administrators did not confirm or deny the suspensions during the week, the short-handed Penguins played without second-leading rusher Martin Ruiz; wide receiver Darien Townsend, who leads the team in receiving yards; and safeties Jameel Smith and LeRoy Alexander, their No. 2 and 3 tacklers, respectively.The game-time temperature was 12 degrees and it eventually dipped below 0 with wind chill. Eastern Washingtons Gage Gubrud passed for 353 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. Cooper Kupp had 10 receptions for 180 yards and two TDs, including one from Sam McPherson on a halfback option pass.Much of Eastern Washingtons aerial assault came in the first half. The Penguins running game grew more effective in the second half, with Jody Webb finishing with 101 of their 263 yards on the ground.In fact, Youngstown State outgained the Eagles more prolific offense 506-478. Wells was 16 of 24 for 243 yards, also throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Alvin Bailey to pull Youngstown State within 31-27 early in the fourth quarter.They might have changed a few things, and I felt like they were getting decent pressure, so sometimes it was a little tougher to let some things develop, Eagles coach Beau Baldwin said. We ran only so many plays, too, in the second half, so there werent as many opportunities. We were still able to get a two-score lead going into the fourth quarter.The loss marked the fourth time Eastern Washington has fallen in the FCS semifinals. The Eagles won their only title in 2010.Gubrud wound up passing former Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinickes FCS single-season record of 5,076 passing yards, finishing with 5,160. His 5,766 yards of total offense set the Big Sky Conferences single-season mark.NFL-bound Cooper Kupp ended his amazing career with 428 receptions, 6,464 receiving yards and 73 touchdown receptions -- all Division I records.But the passing play that will be forever remembered in the thrilling semifinal was Wells-to-Rader-to-the-FCS-final.I knew if he threw me the ball, Rader said, I had to come down with it. ' ' '