New Zealand Cricket's Academy intake have been making the most of post-summer cricket conditions at Lincoln Green this week, but it is last year's intake who have been making the most impression.

Two two-day games were played, mainly between last year's intake and this year's. But because only eight players have been included in this year's draft, numbers have been supplemented by Mark Richardson, Chris Martin and Robbie Hart, TelstraClear Black Caps for the Test tour of Pakistan and players from the Canterbury region.

Yesterday it was Brendon McCullum who revelled in the chances provided for him and he hit 101 not out off 55 balls, his second 50 being scored off 15 balls and in his innings he had only four scoring shots that were not boundaries. He was out this morning for 104 off 59 balls.

Jordan Sheed scored 61 not out while Stuart Mills hit 27.

This afternoon Richardson scored 27, Greg Todd 33 retired while Jamie How scored 100 not out.

Last year's Academy players were back to take part in a post-Academy review of how their first summers out of the Academy went.

Academy director Dayle Hadlee said one-on-one interviews were held with players to see how their summers had gone and of those players who played first-class cricket none had said when asked, that they could have been better assisted for that stage.

The Academy this year will be doing a lot of re-investment work with past players who are deemed to warrant further support in working on their game.

The two games have allowed all the new intake to be scrutinised by the Academy's 'Pooch' technology which has archived every ball bowled and faced in games and which will form the basis for development over the winter months at the Academy.

Ashley Ross, NZC's player development manager, said the ball was dominant in the games during the week, purely because of the late-Autumn conditions which meant batsmen had to struggle. But that also allowed analysis to be done of how they coped with that technically.

Hadlee said the feedback from players who took part last year had been very encouraging and very positive.

Because only eight players are involved on the men's side of things this year, there is more room available for the former Academy players to spend time back there while also room for Black Caps coming in for specific work.

It is hoped that the Academy will take part in a series of games with the Australian and South African Academies at Darwin in August. The idea of a mini-tournament has attracted a lot of interest from the other two countries. And it is also hoped that the New Zealand side can stay for the Inter-Institute tournament staged by the various Australian state academies.

Ideally, if funding were available the side might go on to India to play in the annual Buchi Babu tournament because it presented an ideal opportunity for development of New Zealand's younger players and it was a privilege to be invited there, Hadlee said.

Meanwhile, four members of the TelstraClear White Ferns are part of the Academy as well, and they will be looking to win places in the New Zealand women's team to tour to Europe this winter.

A camp will be held at the High Performance Centre from April 25-28 and will be an important step in the selection of the side for the tour.

A likely itinerary would see the side play at Utrecht in Holland on the only grass wicket in Holland. It would also play in Dublin and also in England and India in a tri-series based in Durham, with some more games against India being played at St Helier in Jersey as part of the International Cricket Council's development programme.

The team for that tour is expected to be named in early May.

© CricInfo