Useful incentive for young ND players

Young Northern Districts cricketers will soon be honing their cricket skills in the Yorkshire leagues as the result of a transfer arrangement reached between the two cricket bodies recently.

The formal transfer arrangement, which has been employed by other cricket associations in the past, will start this summer when a promising player from Yorkshire's Cricket Academy will come to New Zealand to play and train with the Northern Districts Cricket Academy.

Next winter a young ND player will travel to England to play league cricket and train with the Yorkshire Academy.

ND chief executive John Turkington recently visited England and the transfer arrangement is a result of that visit.

Negotiations are continuing with a second county for another reciprocal arrangement. The WEL Energy Trust and Trust Waikato sponsor the relationship.

"A large number of our cricketers play league cricket in England during the southern winter. We now have the first formal relationship that allows promising athletes to gain access to the considerable coaching and playing experience available at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

"I was very impressed with the set up in Leeds. Yorkshire have been a leader in England, establishing an Academy similar to the concept we run here," Turkington said.

The first Yorkshire player to come to ND has been named. He will be Greg Lambert, a 20-year-old medium-fast opening bowler who is playing for the Yorkshire second XI.

Lambert will play club cricket and be available for all cricket this summer.