It seems the latter parts of our build-up for the CricInfo Women's World Cup is going to be favoured with fine weather.

With our two days of trial matches over the weekend all the indications are that we will get two fine days at Lincoln, and that will be great.

The wet spring has been a real frustration but hopefully things are on the improve.

We had a great time in Napier last weekend when we were forced to go looking for fine weather.

We have had an extensive build up to the Cup and it had been intended to have three weekends in Christchurch playing against a competitive men's side. But two weekends in a row were called off and we were forced to look elsewhere.

Nelson Park in Napier, on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island was the scene for the CLEAR White Ferns game against a President's XI.

We batted first on an excellent deck and scored 211-7 off our 50 overs. The innings was highlighted by strong batting performances from Paula Flannery 51, Emily Drumm 67 and Debbie Hockley 29.

The President's XI side contained a number of local representative players and they started their chase confidently with some aggressive hitting.

They proved extremely competitive and passed their goal in the 46th over of the innings.

After our trial this weekend the CLEAR White Ferns for the CricInfo Women's World Cup will be named on Tuesday.

Whilst the White Ferns are in full preparation mode, New Zealand's leading secondary school girl cricketers are preparing for the finals of the National Secondary School competition, the Yoplait Cup.

When I was in Napier I had the opportunity to visit one of the finalists in this year's competition, Napier Girls' High School.

NGHS has a strong tradition of girls' cricket and in the Hawke's Bay region has finished at the top of their local schoolgirls' competition for the past eight years.

The school has a strong interest in girls' cricket boasting three teams and a recent addition to the school facilities has been state of the art practice nets.

This year the four finalists in the Yoplait Cup, NGHS, New Plymouth Girls' High School, Epsom Girls' Grammar School and defending champions Timaru Girls' High School, will travel to Christchurch to not only take part in the finals on December 10-12, but also take in the action at the CricInfo Women's World Cup.

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