Vincent opens up on match fixing involvement

WELLINGTON, Jul 2 (AP): Disgraced former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent says he's "a good lad" whose participation in match fixing - for which he is banned from cricket for life - was like "being dragged into a thick spider web."

In an interview with the New Zealand Herald on Wednesday, Vincent said he doesn't want sympathy but hopes for understanding of how he succumbed to the temptation to fix matches.

Vincent said he was motivated by greed when he first became involved in fixing while playing in the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League. He was approached by a bookmaker who offered him $15,000 and the services of a prostitute to manipulate the outcome of games.

Vincent reported the approach to a fellow player who he trusted, but found that player was already a match fixer.