Cricket: Ace pair ensure they are noticed

Cornwall's Richard Morgan and Grafton's Lou Vincent turned in brilliant performances on the eve of the selection of an Auckland Aces squad to play in pre-Shell series matches.

In the second round of first grade club matches Morgan, with eight for 27, smashed the life out of the North Shore batting line-up after Cornwall had succumbed to a fiery Aaron Hooper (seven for 51) for 111.

On a Devonport wicket described by both sides as perfect, the left-handed fast-medium bowler found a superb line as North Shore tumbled for 60.

Morgan says he has overcome all of his injury woes and even in an Auckland pace bowling line-up likely to include Kerry Walmsley, Heath Davis, David Blake and Kyle Mills, he is in form for a place in the Aces.

Vincent was far from satisfied with his first innings score of 40 against Suburbs New Lynn, even though Grafton were dismissed for a paltry 107. He was determined that his second knock in the follow-on enforced by Suburbs New Lynn would be a good deal better and at stumps had compiled an unbeaten 131.

In the same match the very promising 21-year-old Tama Canning scored 82 for Suburbs New Lynn and grabbed a bag of five for 35 in Grafton's first innings.

Howick Pakuranga had David Blake and Brooke Walker in strong form with the ball and took first innings points against Takapuna, and University Akarana had a similar result against East Coast Bays.

In the second division, veteran Ellerslie batsman Martin Pringle scored a century in a draw against Birkenhead, Parnell headed Waitakere City by seven runs despite a fine innings of 88 by Richard Pudney for the westerners, and a Neil Ronaldson hat-trick for Papatoetoe helped sink Eden Roskill.

In the eighth round of women's one-day matches, Cornwall's Neesha Pratt scored 175 not out in a win over Avondale. University beat North Shore and Papatoetoe beat Grafton.