What's a girl to do? Ask Northern Districts rising stars Nicola Browne and Louise Milliken who have recently been selected for the New Zealand women's A cricket squad.

Both girls are 17-years-old. Both are from rural Waikato towns. Both are in their 7th Form year facing bursary exams. Both are highly-talented all-round representative athletes.

Well, how's this?

Both Nicola and Louise have shown they are made of the right stuff in surfacing from backyard cricket to gaining New Zealand recognition in less than five years!

That really is something. It really says something about the cricket development structures put in place, the talent identification schemes, but more importantly it speaks volumes for two individuals who have combined ability with enthusiasm and commitment to reach for the top.

At Matamata College, Nicola Browne leads a very busy life. Determined to achieve in her academic studies, her favourite subject is calculus, she has also excelled at other sports, in particularly netball and tennis.

As a medium-fast bowler, with the ability to become a genuine all-rounder, Nicola believes that in cricket she has found her sporting niche. Although she achieved representative status at tennis it is the team environment of cricket which appeals to Nicola.

She has a refreshingly honest approach to her future in cricket and is aware of the need to hone her technique, increase her speed and as she states, "there's always room for improvement."

Louise, who is a product of Morrinsville High, is a fast bowler and also talks about looking for greater accuracy and consistency in her bowling. Some of New Zealand's top batters can testify to Louise's ability with her whippy action to get the ball through deceptively quickly.

The New Zealand selectors should be congratulated on having the courage to select youngsters with potential putting the emphasis on individuals to show they have what it takes to step up.

Both Nicola and Louise are genuinely excited about their selections and look forward to showing those who have shown faith in them what we at Northern Districts Cricket already know, that they really are made of the right stuff.

© CricInfo