LITHGOW’S Roxsanne Van Veen will be a part of a star studded NSW cricket side when she contests the inaugural National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC) that gets under way in Alice Springs this week.
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The championships, previously made up of the State and Territory Division of the all-Indigenous cricket carnival the Imparja Cup, now form part of Australian cricket’s elite development pathway with the aim of having more Indigenous cricketers represent Australia at the highest level.
Roxsanne was voted Player of the Final in NSW’s win in 2015 and she will be going for her fifth straight title with the NSW side.
In those five years Roxsanne, a naturally gifted sportswoman, has played a major role in the success of NSW.
Her skills as an all rounder see her just at home batting, bowling, fielding in the field and can also be called on to put on the gloves as wicket keeper.
“It is always a great week,” Roxsanne said.
“You meet up with some great girls and I have made some long time friendships since being first selected.
“I have had to do a bit of private practice this year as our side (Lansdowne) pulled out of the local competition due to lack of numbers.
“The standard of play at the tournament has really improved over the years with women’s cricket gaining a lot of notoriety both on TV and in the newspapers in recent years.
“I am keen to make it five straight and I’m really looking forward to it.”
NSW will take a strong squad to Alice Springs having won every Imparja Cup title since entering a team in the women’s division in 2008.
The 2015 Player of the Tournament and Lord’s Taverners Indigenous Cricketer of the Year Ashleigh Gardner, who plays for the Sydney Sixers, will return to help extend NSW women’s dominance in the indigenous representative competitions.
Gardner will be joined by Van Veen, Sara Darney, Julie Muir and Haylee Hoffmeister who were all named in the 2015 Imparja Cup Team of the Tournament to make up a very strong side.
It is going to be a busy year for Roxsanne who, apart from representing NSW, will also spearhead Lithgow Panthers’ Premier League hockey side’s bid to make it three straight titles and will also be coaching the Lithgow Workmens Club Wolves’ Oz League side.
