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The $70 million Central Broward Regional Park was purpose-built for cricket when it first opened, in 2008. It was US crickets crown jewel, an oasis in a land starved of turf-pitch stadium facilities.Before long, though, the venue took the shape of a white elephant, in the words of a hit piece in the areas major newspaper, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. After it hosted only two revenue-generating cricket events featuring Full Members in its first seven years, restlessness from Broward County management understandably set in, and as a result the facility has begun creeping towards repurposing itself for other sporting tenants, chiefly soccer.At the entrance to the park there are signs hawking sign-ups for FCB Escola, the summer soccer school run by FC Barcelona that has been the chief provider of rental revenue at the stadium for the last several years. Inside the pavilion there are no posters of cricketing icons who have graced the CBRP but framed images of Messi, Neymar, Iniesta and Suarez.Most recently the second-division soccer franchise Fort Lauderdale Strikers announced their relocation from Lockhart Stadium on the north side of Fort Lauderdale to the CBRP, which offers them a more central and upgraded location. They are the main tenant at the ground now. The cricket square was dug up in 2013 and moved 20 yards north to accommodate soccer, not the other way around. All signs point to the realisation that cricket is no longer what the facility is for.Much work had to be done on the pitch and outfield just to get it in shape to host cricket matches for the CPL this weekend. Auckland-based pitch consultant Mark Perham was brought in from Auckland to oversee the preparation of the pitch. A weed-filled outfield also needed to be worked on significantly after recent soccer use to get it back to looking green and clean.This weekend is an opportunity to show fans the CBRP has not been lost to soccer. CPL organisers have made it known that they want to play at the venue every year, and it will take a regular commitment such as that to deter a complete repurposing of the facility for soccer. CPL chief executive Damien ODonohoe has made it perfectly clear, though, that he wants a series of sell-out crowds to make return visits worthwhile.CPL administrators are also confident that the product theyre putting out will be better than that offered by last years Cricket All-Stars roadshow. The cheapest ticket in Lauderhill can be bought for US$23, with two-thirds of tickets priced at $30 or less. The cheapest Cricket All-Stars ticket was $50, though more than 75% of seats were priced at $100 or higher. Tom Moody, the CPLs international director of cricket, says not only is the event more affordable than the All-Stars, but it will be a better product.With all due respect to the Masters competition, youre really looking down memory lane and enjoying the spectacle but from a different position in the seat, Moody said. Youre sitting back and admiring some of the greats of the game that have played over the last couple of decades.You see one form where youre looking back and admiring some past greats in a different generation, played in a different gear. Over the next few days youre going to see the game played thats current, with the best players in the world, playing in overdrive. From an entertainment standpoint, youll be on the edge of your seat for the next week.Whether or not fans hold up their end of the bargain is to be determined. The overwhelming majority of ticket sales online have been purchased by out-of-towners. A ticket sales manager at the main Florida CPL box-office location at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center said a week out from the event that the word was about 100 walk-up tickets were sold in the month and a half since tickets went on sale.Yet there was more success achieved at other satellite sales locations, where tickets were offered by local West Indian expat merchants. Sheila Sawh Gowkaran, owner of Joys Roti Delight - a cult restaurant located across the street from the stadium - said she sold out of her batch of 500 tickets more than two weeks ago. I could have sold 1000 if they gave me that many, Gowkaran said.In terms of local competition from other sports, Miami Marlins are home at the moment and commence with a four-game series against St Louis Cardinals, which directly clashes with the CPL start times. However, CPL chairman Richard Bevan doesnt feel theyll be affected by traffic that could have gone to the CPL games had Marlins been away.I think were only in competition with ourselves in terms of putting on the very best product and making sure the cricket in Florida is played lighter and better, Bevan said. Well communicate that to a world audience over the next few days. Pulling out all the stops, Tridents part-owner Mark Wahlberg tweeted his support for the event, encouraging people to show up in Lauderhill.Barring a dramatic surge in walk-up sales, the expectation is that Thursday nights curtain-raiser may be played in front of a half-full stadium, which may be a disappointment to ODonohoe. The crowd is expected to be better on Friday night, while Saturday and Sunday are projected to be sold out, with few tickets remaining for both days. Time will tell if better success at the gate on the weekend double-header days outweighs less than optimal attendances at the start.The last obstacle is the temperamental Florida weather in the summertime, which is also tropical storm season. The weekend prior to the CPL saw heavy rains each day. Some training sessions for the early-arriving teams were cancelled. However, since Monday there has been glorious sunshine every day. Organisers have their fingers crossed the rain will hold off through the weekend, and the current forecast is for good weather on the first three days, with only Sunday in some doubt.If the scene in Lauderhill is anything like the last visit made by West Indies in 2012, the atmosphere should be thriving. Instead of having to wait four more years, good support in Lauderhill for the CPL might not only encourage the league to come back next year, but a visit by India and West Indies could be in store even sooner.Shoes NZ Online . 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Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea.SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose signed pending restricted free agent forward Tomas Hertl to a two-year contract Thursday worth a reported $6 million, keeping one of the teams top young players in the fold as the Sharks try to build on last seasons trip to the Stanley Cup Final.The 22-year-old Hertl is coming off his best season as a pro, having recorded career highs with 21 goals and 25 assists in 81 games. He thrived when moved to the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski in the middle of the season and was a big reason behind San Joses postseason success.I wont even put a limit on him, general manager Doug Wilson said. He just gets better and better. Hes a big, strong guy. ... When we drafted him, we expected him to be a dominant player and so does he. He has high expectations for himself. He loves to play the game. You can see that smile on his face. Its contagious.Hertl got off to a fast start as a rookie in 2013-14, scoring 15 goals in 35 games before being sidelined by a knee injury. He returned late that season and struggled to regain that form in his second year as a pro.But after scoring just four goals in his first 37 games last season when he played both center and wing, Hertl surged when moved to the top line as a wing alongside Thornton and Pavelski. Hertl had 17 goals and 14 assists in the final 44 games and was productive in the playoffs as well with six goals and five assists in 20 games.Hertl injured his right knee late in Game 2 of the final against Pittsburgh and his absence the rest of the way played a role in San Joses six-game loss to the Penguins.The Sharks expect him to pick up where hee left off when next season starts.ddddddddddddWe think this guy is a high-end player, Wilson said. When you have that physical gift with the size and the hockey sense that he has. But he has this love of the game that all the top players have. Throw that combination together and we think hell be a great player. We really do. Big games and big situations he likes to step up. We missed him when he was out against Pittsburgh. Theres no doubt.Wilson said he expects to have conversations next summer with Hertl about a longer-term deal but both sides thought it was best to opt for a bridge contract because of Hertls potential to emerge into a star. He will be eligible to be a restricted free agent when this deal is done in 2018.Its good for me too because now I have two years to show my best hockey and show I can play longer here with the Sharks,, Hertl said. Its on me. Its better to sign the contract and well see the next two years how I play.Hertl said he is progressing well from the injury suffered in the final and will not need surgery. He said he expects to be 100 percent by the time the season starts but is not sure if he will be healthy enough to play for his native Czech Republic in the World Cup in September.Wilson said he is having talks with two other pending restricted free agents: forward Matt Nieto and defenseman Dylan DeMelo. Wilson previously said he will let pending unrestricted free agents Roman Polak, Nick Spaling, James Reimer and Dainius Zubrus hit the market on Friday. ' ' '