Wanganui trio excel in rep sides | Manawatu-Wanganui Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Manawatu-Wanganui

As Wanganui head into their decisive Hawke Cup clash with Hawke's Bay today, three local youngsters are back from representative action to suggest the sport's future is in good hands.

Nick Blundell, Brett Cameron and Jessica Watkin have all benefitted from a spell of rep cricket with Central Districts at week-long national competitions around the country.

Seventeen-year-old Blundell - now in his last year at Wanganui Collegiate - won a place in the CD under-18 squad which played Wellington over two days and one day, and then took part in the national competition at Lincoln.

The lively pace bowler is already opening the attack for the Wanganui rep team, though an ankle injury sustained at Lincoln is likely to keep him out of today's match at Victoria Park.

Central Districts finished runners-up to Auckland in the national tournament - and would have won the competition had they grabbed the last wicket when they had Auckland nine down and on the ropes in their two-day clash.

The rest of the tourney comprised one-day and twenty20 games and Blundell collected a handful of victims and bowled economically, giving him an impressive strike rate.

With a professional cricket career offing, Blundell is aware of the toll top-class pace bowling takes on the body.

"I've progressed well this year but I got injured playing rugby last year and that limited my winter training.

"This winter I will do a lot of bowling and work on my general fitness - I need to develop a stronger core and stronger lower back."

Another target this year is to make a New Zealand inter-school team for a tour of Sri Lanka.

Last year, Blundell earned a spot in the CD under-16 team - this year it was the turn of Cullinane College batsman Brett Cameron.

Despite cricket not looming large on the radar at Cullinane - "We're trying to get a team together," says Cameron - the 15-year-old has made his mark playing senior cricket with Marist and being coached by Cricket Wanganui operations manager Dilan Raj.

It was Raj who led the CD under-16s to second place behind Northern Districts at their national tournament in Taupo, where Cameron - also a promising wicket-keeper - had a top score of 38.

"It was a big step up in standard and I learned a lot," said Cameron of his first CD experience.

Though only 13, all-rounder Watkin proved good enough to make Central's under-15 side for the national girls competition in Wanganui. In the tournament won by CD, she was also good enough to have to be twice retired by coach Esther Lanser who felt she had scored enough runs and others needed a go.

Watkin will play for the girls team - and the boys second team - at Wanganui High School and has ambitions to make it to the White Ferns.