Northern Districts cricket official are enjoying a boom period in numbers participating in their region.

The New Zealand Cricket census has shown a 45% increase in adult players in the region, or 8000 people playing in recognised competitions.

ND administrator Pat Malcon said there was a slight increase in the numbers playing on Saturday but there was also an increase in business house, mid-week and masters cricket.

Junior numbers showed an 11% increase with a 39% increase in numbers of boys playing to 12,666 and 22% among girls to 2143.

Malcon said there were factors associated with the strategic plan that has been implemented that were responsible for the growth.

"A regional network of development managers and development officers promoting the game in primary and secondary schools has been part of that.

"Last season there were three full-time development managers and 30 part-time development managers in the region."

The enhanced profile of women's cricket since the CricInfo Women's World Cup victory in 2000 was another factor.

The selection of young ND players Louise Milliken and Nicola Browne in the TelstraClear White Ferns had been another boost for local players.

The Milo Have A Go programme for six to eight-year-olds had also had an impact. There are now 40 Have A Go centres in ND.

New competitions have also been implemented with the Waikato Secondary Schools' competition with 20 schools taking part being an example.

"The next challenge is retaining the increased number of junior players in the game by providing relevant competitions on high quality pitches, and giving quality coaching.

"Another challenge is to cater for the increasing number of adult players who wish to play cricket on days other than Saturday, which is now a working day for many people," he said.

© CricInfo