Cricket: Second class ruling on Such

England A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220

Australian Cricket Academy . . . . . . . 231

MIKE VOCKINS, the England A manager, is to protest over a decision to strip their four-day tour match against the Australian Cricket Academy in Melbourne of first-class status. Vockins said last night that he would be making formal representations to the Australian Cricket Board, on behalf of the Test and County Cricket Board, to reverse their decision.

'There are arguments why we feel it should be a first-class match. I would like to persuade them of those merits,' Vockins said. 'This is the nearest representative match we have got on tour. Nearly all their players have played first-class cricket. Both sides see it as a representative game.' The ACB has ruled that only the games against Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales will count as first-class.

On the field, Peter Such produced career-best bowling figures of 7 for 82 - which will not make the record books if the match is not first-class. The 28-year-old Essex spinner played the lead role in dismissing the Academy for 231 in their first innings, a lead of 11 runs.

'As far as I am concerned, this is a first-class match, bowling against first-class batsmen, and is one of the best performances of my career,' Such said.

(Second day of four: England A won toss)

ENGLAND A - First Innings 220 (P J Prichard 77).

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY - First Innings

D Hills c Thorpe b Capel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

* M J Slater c Prichard b Such . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

G R Blewett c Russell b Capel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

M G Bevan st Russell b Such . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

R Ponting c and b Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

S G Law run out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

] A Gilchrist st Russell b Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

J Stewart c Moxon b Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

S Cook c sub b Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

P E McIntyre b Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

T Corbett not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Extras (b1 lb12 w1 nb2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Total (91.4 overs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231

Fall: 1-69 2-159 3-162 4-163 5-168 6-190 7-195 8-207 9-208.

Bowling: Caddick 23-4-56-0; Ilott 18-5-42-0; Such 35-9-82-7; Capel 15-4-38-2.

Umpires: D Holt and P Jensen.