CRICKET - Doors open for young players

The absence of first class cricketers from Northland fixtures this season offers extra opportunity for players to emerge from the provincial shadows and gain selection into the top team this year.
The Northland Cricket team's co-selector Ross Kneebone will be a keen spectator at premier grade cricket matches tomorrow as he looks to pick his team for the 2007-8 season with fellow selector Trevor Penney.
All three matches are played in Whangarei tomorrow - an entree for the selectors with the main event, the Northland trial match, at Cobham Oval on Sunday.
"There will be two good, even sides out there if the weather stays right - a good contest on a good wicket - and it'll give us the chance we need to see people performing under pressure," Kneebone said.
Players like Kamo's Jamie Miller, Chris Page and Whangarei Boys' High School's Josh Matthews and Rory Darkins have plenty to play for this weekend with both selectors well known for giving young players a chance at the top level.
There are two games at Kensington Park with Bledisloe playing Kaipara Flats and Maungakaramea playing Kamo, while City and WBHS trialists get an early chance to familiarise themselves with the wicket at Cobham Oval ahead of Sunday's trial.
The two trial squads held a practice on Cobham Oval on Wednesday evening but for the majority of players, Sunday will be their first chance at playing on a grass wicket this season.
One of the more interesting decisions the selectors will have to make is which of the overseas professionals - if any - will be named in the squad.
"It's not a matter of who we'll have in the team, it's a matter of seeing if they have the ability to make the team," Kneebone said.
Last season Scottish batsman Steven Knox was the overseas players named in the squad, while Gordon Drummond played with the development team.
On Sunday, Tauseef Satti, Qasim Sheikh, Owain Hopkins and Peter Morgan will front up for the trial but Kneebone said there was still one other foreign player to consider.
"There's still one other guy who'll come into the frame when he arrives - Stephen John, a first class cricketer from Pakistan. He won't make the trial but his CV looks good," he said.
John is awaiting a visa before taking up a position as Onerahi-Central's professional this year and he is known as a handy bowler, who has played for some time as a professional in England.
Kneebone said they will hold off naming a team until after next weekend's round of premier grade games tomorrow, just in case they need another chance to watch players in action.
Team One: Andy Thompson, Jamie Lee (Capt), Tauseef Satti, Bert Horner, Qasim Sheikh, John Child, Darron Goodwin, Will Smart, Josh Mathews, Jamie Kay, Lance Jessup, Rory Darkins.
Team Two: Logan Posthumus, Aaron Wilson, Steve Schwartfeger, Brendan McLeod, Jamie Miller, Owain Hopkins, Harry Darkins, Peter Morgan, Chris Page, Ben Cochrane (Capt), Rhys Farrand, Brad Chard.