CRICKET - Bailey gets thumbs up for Spirited gift

It will take a lot to keep Whangarei cricketer Emily Bailey down.
After being picked in the Northern District's development team last season, Bailey experienced disaster trying to catch a ball in a club match against Whangarei Boys' High School and broke her thumb.
The injury basically ended the off-spinner's season, smashing her dreams of breaking into the ND top side, the Northern Spirit.
She needn't have worried.
Although she never bowled a ball in anger for the development team, a series of pre-season training camps and trials has seen Bailey impress the selectors enough to be named in the Spirit team for next weekend's season opener against the Wellington Blaze at Mount Maunganui.
Spirit coach Cliff Dickson said he had been watching Bailey for a while and she appeared to have the ability and X-factor to succeed in the game.
"There are not many off-spinners like her that I would regard as naturals and we're prepared to give her a bit of time to settle into the team because I have a feeling she'll be around for quite a while to come," he said.
Initially, the 16-year-old would play with the team for just the first game of the State series but there was "every chance" she would return for more later in the season.
For her part, Bailey was just happy to be injury-free.
"I hurt it [the thumb] again but now it's completely healed," she said.
She is looking forward to her first opportunity in the State Women's League and will try to not let it affect her game.
"I don't want to let it worry me, I'll just be trying to bowl normally and do as well as I can."
The ND coach believes she has a big future in the sport and one of her coaches in Whangarei, Heather Deane, agrees.
"There aren't too many genuine spinners in the State league so they have good reason to keep her in mind and, although she might find it hard to start with, she's tough, she can handle it," she said.
Bailey has had more experience playing women's cricket this season already, turning out for Deane's old club, Cornwall Cricket Club, in the Auckland women's league every weekend.
A feature of the ND side is the return of Whitefern Louise Milliken from serious injury for the two 50-over matches and one Twenty20 match next Saturday and Sunday.
She will join up with ICC Women's Player of the Year 2008 nominee and fellow Whitefern Nicola Browne to spearhead the bowling.
Bailey and Emily Watson are the debutantes and will look to soak up as much experience as they can before they join the development team for their week-long tournament in Christchurch from December 8-13.
Bailey is looking forward to joining fellow 16-year-old Whangarei pace bowler Nicci Anderson, who was also picked in the ND Development Squad for the tournament.
"It's good to have somebody from up here around, rather than just Hamilton people in the team, someone you've played cricket with in the same teams coming up," she said.