Cricket: Aucklanders not in a spin

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Auckland will go into today's cricket match against old rivals Canterbury in Christchurch without a spin bowler.

The Auckland cricket selectors, Tony Sail, Rex Hooton and Rowan Armour, have left offspinner Tane Topia and left-armer Mark Haslam at home for the second-round Shell Trophy clash.

In a determined bid to bolster the batting, the selectors have brought in John Aiken, who played seven trophy and 13 cup matches last season, to bat at No 3.

Lou Vincent will drop from four to six and surrender the wicketkeeping gloves to Richard Irving.

"Lou hasn't scored any runs for a long time and we feel we need to give him the opportunity by playing him as a batsman only in this game," said Sail, who also coaches Auckland.

"After what I saw against Northern in Hamilton, I wanted to go back to the more conventional split of six batsmen, a wicketkeeper and four bowlers.

"It is nothing against Mark Haslam. I thought he bowled very well in that match, but the job he did I feel can be done by someone else - maybe Aaron Barnes or Tama Canning - in this game.

"And I had no problem with Vincent's wicketkeeping. I thought he did well, particularly in the cup game [also against Northern]."

For Sunday's cup match, Topia will return to the team and open the batting in place of Tim McIntosh who, with Irving, will stand down, with Vincent returning to the wicketkeeper-batsman role.

Haslam will also be included in the squad for the cup.

Canterbury have dumped leg-spinner Aaron Redmond from the team who played Wellington in their rain-ruined opening match. His misdeamour was missing the return flight from the capital. Robbie Frew comes into the 12.

"We played a bit conservatively against Wellington," Canterbury coach Garry MacDonald said. "It is never easy in a game like that when so much time is lost.

"The wicket we will play on against Auckland should be a good one, with a bit of bounce and carry. It is reasonably green. I see Auckland, especially with that batting line-up, as a real handful. I think they have under-performed at times, but they are never easy."

Northern and Central Districts will have the same 12 players in Taupo as they had in their opening matches.

Smarting a little from their Shell Cup loss to Auckland, Northern will be looking for a return to form in the battle of the early leaders, but they will be well aware of the comfortable win Central scored over Otago.

Central coach Dipak Patel said he had taken heart from the effort in Wanganui, especially with a team who included four players making their first-class debuts.

A fifth, offspinner and batsman Hayden Morgan, was 12th man against Otago.

Patel will wait until this morning before making a decision on the playing Xl for Taupo.

"It was a good effort to take 20 wickets in Wanganui, especially with such an inexperienced attack," Patel said after his side had practised at Owen Delany Park yesterday.

"The wicket here looks dry and flat but with some grass on it. We will wait until it has been prepared before making a final decision on our team."

In the other third-round game starting this morning, pace bowler Iain O'Brien has been rushed into the Wellington team to play Otago at Carisbrook after the suspension of Matthew Walker.

Walker was suspended for two playing days after being found guilty of unacceptable behaviour in the Pearce Cup match between Stokes Valley and Eastern Suburbs at Kilbirnie Park on Saturday.

His main crime is understood to be raising his bat in disgust at being given out leg-before when he believed he hit the ball first.

Trophy points: Northern Districts, Central Districts 6, Wellington 2, Canterbury, Auckland, Otago 0.