Four women included in 2002 New Zealand Cricket Academy intake
New Zealand Cricket - 28 February 2002

State Northern Spirit team-mates Louise Milliken and Nicola Browne, Napier's Sara McGlashan, and Timaru's Maria Fahey and will begin the seven-month, New Zealand Cricket Academy programme in March at the completion of the CLEAR White Ferns season.

Right-arm pace bowler Milliken, who turned 18 in September and was selected earlier this week for the CLEAR White Ferns, has been rated as only marginally slower than Australian veteran Cathryn Fitzpatrick, whose deliveries have been clocked at 125kph.

Says convenor of selectors, Lesley Murdoch, "Lou is just five foot five, but very athletic and a timely find for New Zealand given that we have to replenish our bowling stocks, having lost Katrina Keenan and Catherine Campbell after last season's CricInfo World Cup."

Milliken, Fahey and Browne were all members of the Women's New Zealand 'A' team that played Australia Youth in Australia earlier this month. Browne was selected from that tour to make her CLEAR White Ferns debut versus Australia at the Adelaide Oval last week. Another right-arm pace bowling find and just three days older than Milliken, Browne will be using her Academy internship to study for a commerce degree, armed with an A Bursary from Matamata College last year.

Milliken earns her international selection for the second leg of the home and away Rosebowl Series. Three One-Day Internationals will be played at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln, with the first on Saturday.

Notes Murdoch, "There has been careful planning around the development of both Louise and Nicola. We identified them early and have been watching them for about two years now - they were both included in the CLEAR White Ferns 2001 winter training squad. [State Northern Spirit coach and Women's New Zealand A coach] Cliff Dickeson has been coaching them and he's done a fantastic job of growing them as international cricketers. With Ian Butler having being brought into the CLEAR Black Caps as well, it continues the success story of Northern Districts fast bowers this summer."

The 2002 Academy intake also underlines that the district areas in sport in New Zealand remain hugely valuable for growing future international talent.

McGlashan is a product of Yoplait Cup stronghold Napier Girls' High, while Fahey, 17 and the youngest on the Women's New Zealand 'A' tour, regularly commuted from Timaru to Christchurch to play for the State Canterbury Magicians and attend Canterbury and New Zealand squad trainings over 2001/02. She came through the same Timaru coaching system than helped develop CLEAR White Ferns Haidee Tiffen and Helen Watson.

Fahey, a left-hand top order bat and right-arm off-spinner, scored a half-century in Australia and is an outstanding fielder. McGlashan was picked by the Sunday Star-Times as a schoolgirl 'Future Champion' in 1999, mostly as a reflection of her soccer-playing talents. A middle order bat in cricket, she made her debut for the State Central Hinds in the 2000/01 season.

This is the third year women have been included as part of the New Zealand Cricket Academy development programme based at Lincoln University. Former Academy graduates include Tiffen, Kate Pulford, Watson, Sarah Burke, Fiona Fraser, Philippa Gerrish and Aimee Mason.

Related Link	Women's Cricket
Teams	New Zealand.
Players/Umpires	Louise Milliken, Nicola Browne, Sara McGlashan, Maria Fahey, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Lesley Murdoch, Katrina Keenan, Catherine Campbell, Bert Sutcliffe, Cliff Dickeson, Ian Butler, Haidee Tiffen, Helen Watson, Kate Pulford, Sarah Burke, Fiona Fraser, Philippa Gerrish, Aimee Mason.