Cricket: Anxious wait for Maxed-out trio

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Coaches Mark O'Donnell and Vaughn Johnson will have anxious eyes on flight schedules this morning as they await the arrival of key players for today's championship match at Eden Park's outer oval.

After last night's Max match in Christchurch, Andre Adams and Tama Canning are required for Auckland and Johnson needs Chris Nevin to have his Wellington side at full strength.

The three players were scheduled to leave at 6am and arrive in Auckland 90 minutes later.

"Andre and Tama will come straight to Eden Park," said O'Donnell as the remainder of his team trained at the match ground yesterday.

In the only changes to the Auckland team who comfortably took first innings points from their State Championship against Northern Districts in Gisborne, Adams (back after serving a one-match suspension) and Gareth Shaw (recovered from injury) have come into the 13-player squad.

Richard Morgan, 12th man in Gisborne, has been omitted.

In the Wellington team, Jeetan Patel has been included at the expense of Mark Gillespie, 12th man in the win over Central Districts.

There is still no place for international Paul Hitchcock who played last night's game after missing the CD game through injury.

James Franklin, Hitchcock's late replacement at the Basin Reserve, Iain O'Brien and Andrew Penn bagged 18 wickets between them in that game leaving no room for Hitchcock.

Johnson said Patel's inclusion gives them an added spin option.

But the bounce and carry the new outer oval pitch displayed yesterday suggest it may be the pace attacks that get the go ahead.

O'Donnell goes into the game knowing little about the opposition.

"I haven't seen a Wellington team play since 1984 so I'm not much help," said O'Donnell.

"I'm more concerned about what we do than trying to analyse them."

Like his players, O'Donnell sees the pitch on a large block prepared over the winter and spring as a good strip which "might do a bit" before settling to become a good batting strip.

"While we managed only two and a half runs an over in Gisborne you had to consider the conditions.

"It was a bit slow. On a wicket like we have here, I would be looking for better than three runs an over."

It promises to be a good contest between the two teams who fought all the way to the final match of last season.

Despite losing on the first innings, Auckland took the championship by four points after winning six of their 10 matches outright.

In the only other match starting today, Canterbury will play Northern Districts at Dudley Park in Rangiora.

The hosts are humming after taking maximum points from their innings win over Otago at Dunedin last weekend.

Teams:

Auckland: Brooke Walker (capt), Mark Richardson, Matt Horne, Lou Vincent, Tim McIntosh, Rob Nicol, Kyle Mills, Andre Adams, Tama Canning, Craig Pryor, Reece Young, Heath Davis, Gareth Shaw (two to be omitted).

Wellington: Matthew Bell (capt), Richard Jones, Neal Parlane, Stephen Fleming, Grant Donaldson, James Franklin, Chris Nevin, Matthew Walker, Mark Jefferson, Andrew Penn, Jeetan Patel, Iain O'Brien (one to be omitted).

Northern Districts: Robbie Hart (capt), James Marshall, Nick Horsley, Michael Parlane, Scott Styris, Hamish Marshall, Matthew Hart, Joey Yovich, Daniel Vettori, Darryl Tuffey, Ian Butler, Graeme Aldridge (one to be omitted).

Canterbury: Gary Stead (capt), Michael Papps, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris, Paul Wiseman, Chris Cairns, Gareth Hopkins, Brendon Donkers, Shane Bond, Chris Martin, Andrew Ellis (one to be omitted).