Date-stamped : 14 Dec1998 - 19:34 15 October 1996 NZ Academy hit by injuries to batsmen The New Zealand Cricket Academy, already light on top-order batsmen, is another opener down with Matthew Bell sidelined by a broken thumb. Bell`s right thumb was broken when he was batting against Otago in a one-day match at Burnside Park on Sunday. He will miss the remainder of the Academy programme. However, Academy chief Dayle Hadlee expects Bell, from Northern Districts, to be available again for the domestic season which starts in late November. Bell joins Otago opener Robbie Lawson on the injured list, Law- son having sustained a broken leg just before the season start- ed. The broken thumb was the final blow for Bell who had ear- lier been hit on the index finger of the hand several times recently. The paucity of Academy batsmen has prompted New Zealand Cricket to call for nominations from around the country for two more batsmen to bolster the side. "It would have been easy to get fill-ins from Canterbury but this is a national programme and we will look at adding two suitable players within the next few days for the remaining matches." The Academy still has games against Canterbury, Northern Districts, Auckland and Central Districts. Meanwhile the Academy was well beaten by Otago in the second of two one-day games at Hagley Oval yesterday. Otago, beaten in the first game, batted first yesterday and amassed a daunting 227 for four from just 30 overs in the rain-reduced encounter. All the batsmen prospered, none more so than recent New Zealand Youth player Chris Gaffaney who struck 78 off 71 balls with eight fours. New Otago player Matt Horne finished the innings with a flourish striking an unbeaten 49 from 35 balls. The target, in excess of seven an over, proved too much for the Academy line-up which folded for 94 in the 21st over. Short scoreboard: Otago 227-4 (C Gaffaney 78, M Horne 49 no, M Lamont 36, M Austen 29) beat NZ Academy 94 (extras 18; R Ken- nedy 2-16, A Gale 2-12) by 133 runs. Source :: The Press (http://www.press.co.nz) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)