Cricket: Young Cornwall allrounder moving on up

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Cornwall allrounder Rob Nicol has been given an early chance in the big time with his selection in the Auckland team for next week's three-day warm-up match against Wellington at Devonport Domain.

Eighteen-year-old Nicol, New Zealand's young player of the year to Lord's last year, gets his chance through the unavailability of his Cornwall team-mate Aaron Barnes.

Mark Haslam will also miss the match, which starts on Monday morning, because of work commitments, but will play in Thursday's one-day game.

Also missing from last season's Aces lineup are Blair Pocock and John Aiken (retired), Richard King (to Central Districts) and internationals Dion Nash, Adam Parore and Lou Vincent.

Wellington will be led in Matthew Bell's absence by Richard Jones, who is looking forward to his return to Devonport Domain - his home ground during the years he played for the North Shore club before moving to Wellington last season.

Upper Hutt's Leighton Morgan was the new name in the Wellington side. He will bat in the middle order, while his unrelated namesake, Rhys Morgan, will bat one or two places higher.

Rhys Morgan scored 35 on debut against Pakistan last summer, but is short of runs so far this season.

Both camps will name their teams for next week's season-opening Max competition, to be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at North Harbour Stadium, during the warm-up matches.

The State Championship (the season's new-look four-day competition) begins on November 26.

Squads for three-day warm-up game:

Auckland: Tim McIntosh, Matt Horne, Llorne Howell, Richard Pudney, Rob Nicol, Tama Canning, Kyle Mills, Brooke Walker (capt), Reece Young, Andre Adams, Richard Morgan, Chris Drum.

Haslam will replace Nicol for the one-day game.

Wellington: (from) Richard Jones (capt), Phil Chandler, Rhys Morgan, Grant Donaldson, Leighton Morgan, Chris Nevin, James Franklin, Matthew Walker, Andrew Penn, Jeetan Patel, Mark Jefferson, Mayu Pasupati, Iain O'Brien.