The inclusion of Heinie Shannon in the latest Black Sox squad will be sending tremors into the Samoa team, facing a series against the Sox and Australia at the end of the coming season.

   Shannon, back in the same group as his brother Patrick after a few years apart, was always said to be not interested in leaving the Samoa selection, but no one had asked him the specific question.

   When it was put to him he said, “I have never stated such a thing and would be pleased to play for the Sox.”

   He has been on the fringes of Black Sox selection since 1994, after his debut for Auckland. He was selected in the emerging players’ squad. The next season, after Auckland won the national title, he was in the under-23 squad v Japan and in the 96-97 went on an internal Black Sox tour.

   Then it seemed he had made it, making tours of the USA in the 97-98 and 98-99 seasons, both times with Patrick.

   But for the past eight years, and two world series, he has been on the outer, despite some outstanding performances and consistently being named as the most cooperative pitcher. Former Auckland coach Ricky Earley was loud in his praise of the left hander, saying that all your had to do was hand him the ball and you knew that the best performance possible would follow.

   At the 2004 world series he was outstanding as Samoa surprised so many teams, and home fans, with superlative showings, usually behind Heinie and the equally dependable Mike Roberts.

   But since it has seemed that Heinie was being hit more solidly, and more often