Victorian National Indigenous Championships squads named

The state and territory competition has been a division of the all-Indigenous cricket carnival the Imparja Cup since 2001.

The move to a standalone Championships has been made to further entrench Indigenous cricket with Australian cricket’s high performance pathway.

The Victorian men’s side features 10 members from the 2015 side that finished on top of the ladder before losing a semi-final to Queensland.

The leading run-scorer in last year’s tournament, Rohan Wight, looms a key player for the Victorian side and has been in brilliant form for Glen Iris, amassing 527 runs, at an average of 75.29 this season.

Victoria’s leading two wicket takers from the 2015 tournament, Bohdi Walker and Wade King, have also been named in the 14-man squad.

The Victorian women’s side will look to go one better than last year when they made it to the final, losing to New South Wales by 75 runs as their opposition’s experience proved too much for them.

One of the key players for the women’s side will be all-rounder Jacinta Goodger-Chandler.

The Melbourne opening bowler and batsman recently represented the Central Highlands squad in the VicSpirit Under-18 Female State Championships and finished the tournament with the seventh-top betting average of 43.67 and also took six wickets at 9.17.

The family feel to the squad remains this year as mother and daughter duo Fiona and Merinda Hale and twins Ebony and Kirra Cuskelly play in their second consecutive tournament together.

The male tournament will be played in Alice Springs from February 7 to 16 while the female series will be held from February 10 to 16.

Victorian Male Indigenous squad
Player (Club)
Tom Collett (Kingston Hawthorn CC)
Damon Egan  (Melbourne CC)
Joshua Eaton (Essendon CC)
Nathan Fowler (Northcote CC)
Nathan Gardiner (Whittlesea CC)
Patrick Jackson (The Pines CC)
Alex Kerr (Dandenong CC)
Wade King (Warrenbayne CC)
Clayton McCartney (North Dandenong CC)
Brenden Miller (Lara CC)
Daniel Mock (Woori Yallock CC)
Fletcher Stewart (Essendon CC)
Bohdi Walker (Stratford CC)
Rohan Wight (Glen Iris CC)

Victorian Women’s Indigenous squad
Player (Club)
Simone Burridge (Keon Park CC)
Ebony Cuskelly (Buchan CC)
Kirra Cuskelly (Buchan CC)
Jacinta Goodger-Chandler (Napoleons-Sebastopol CC)
Kareena Jacobsen-Logan (Spotswood CC)        
Fiona Hale (Mt Martha CC)
Merinda Hale (Mt Martha CC)
Jess Martin (Coburg CC)
Renee Melton (Coburg CC)
Natalie Plane (Melbourne CC)
Marlee Wandin (Yarra Valley Womens CC)
Molly Ward (Lucknow CC)