Injuries force team changes

Press, 10 January 1987, Page 72

Injuries force team changes

PA Auckland Rob McKinlay, the 26-year-old Ellerslie club opening batsman, has been selected for the Auckland cricket side which will start its three-day Shell Trophy game against Canterbury at Eden Park today. McKinlay will replace Phil Horne, the dashing opener, who has been ruled out with a broken finger. Richard Reid, the top* order batsman, has been dropped and Alan Hunt, who began his first-class career in 1986-81, returns to the side. McKinlay, a compact opening batsman who progressed through Auckland and national age-group teams to a place in the New Zealand Youth side last summer, seemed a little stunned by his selection after training at Eden Park last evening. Judging Dy the formation of the side, McKinlay seems certain to be a member of the playing eleven, with Hunt and Stuart Gillespie disputing the 12th man position. On this basis Derek Scott, aged 22, will be the senior member of one of the youngest opening batting combinations Auckland has fielded for years.

There was evidently some soul-searching among the Auckland representative squad yesterday, with the first 11 losing to Otago and the second XI losing to Central Districts earlier this week. So Auckland may present a stiffer front to Canterbury over the next three days. Canterbury has gone north with one change from the side which drew with Wellington. Andrew Hintz, the medium-fast bowler who played a big part in Canterbury's rearguard action on Thursday, was later found to have a broken bone in his wrist, which made his innings even more heroic. Canterbury has brought in Andrew Nuttall, 'a left-arm spinner who took ten wickets in a recent second eleven match and this will give Canterbury a nicely rounded spin attack of Vaughan Brown, off-spin, David Hartshorn, legspin and Nuttall. The teams will be chosen from.— Canterbury: John Wright (captain), Anup Nathu, Paul McEwan, David Boyle, Rod Latham, Vaughan Brown, David Hartshorn, Richard Hadlee, Barry Ward, Chris Flanagan, Stuart Roberts, Andrew Nuttall. Auckland: Peter Webb (captain), Rob McKinlay, Derek Scott, Dlpak Patel, Jeff Crowe, Alan Hunt, Danny Morrison, Martin Snedden, Stuart Gillespie, Gary Troup, Paul Kelly, John Bracewell.