A Spirited conversation with Nicola Browne

Name: Nicola Browne

Age: Experienced
Nickname: Manty
Club: Melville
Reside: Hamilton
Other teams: White Ferns
Occupation: Project Manager
Playing role: Allrounder
Batting style: RH batter
Bowling style: RH medium-fast
Twitter handle: @njbrowne

What was you first cricket experience?
Playing at Simpsons Beach in Whitianga on holiday most summers.

Batter, batsman or batswoman?
Batter mainly, or else batsman if being technically correct.

Who was your cricket idol/hero growing up?
Chris Cairns, because of his six hitting ability, his presence on the field and his ability to play match winning performances.

What advice would you have for a young girl wanting to give cricket a go?
Give all disciplines a go - batting, bowling and keeping for as long as you can.

How difficult is it to find a balance between cricket commitments and holding down a “real” job?
It has taken six years to figure it out, so quite difficult.

Which provincial ground/association has the best catering? Any specialities?
Whangarei by a long shot!!!!!!!! Vanilla bean fruit salad, lamb, the list goes on!! Hope Louie is good at gluten free meals now.

Who is your playing equivalent in the men’s domestic game (past or present)?
I will say Chris Cairns.

Which opponent would you consider your most difficult opponent to play against?
Canterbury is always up there, purely because they have been champions reasonably consistently for some time now, so everyone wants to knock them off their perch.

Who is the most interesting person you follow on Twitter, and why?
I find @keanewzealand awesome because they will tweet great achievements or events that happen throughout New Zealand or to New Zealanders overseas. It’s always awesome to hear of Kiwis having success on the world stage. Plus it is in business mainly which is a nice addition to our sporting success.

Did you play in boy’s teams as a youngster? When did you move into girl’s/women’s sides?
I have played on and off in girl’s teams but mainly in guys’ teams (apart from association/national and international teams). I think it is the best thing we can do as female cricketers wanting to improve; work our way up the men’s grades. Therefore playing a Saturday club match is on par or above playing a women’s international match.

What’s your best/funniest cricketing story?
There are lots of moments that stand out but one that springs to mind is an old team mate, Louise Milliken, playing in her last season became quite the prankster. One particular game she cut one of the girl’s trouser legs off at different lengths. It was just enough not to notice until she had put them on for a change of innings. And she only had one pair, so had to field with the wind whistling past her ankles.

What’s one thing about you that most people wouldn’t know (or would find surprising)?
I have Coeliac Disease, which is a high intolerance to gluten.


For a full set of Northern Spirit profiles and my views on the women’s domestic game, have a read of A Spirited conversation with the Northern Spirit.