Annika Learoyd has closed her season in style by striking a dominant century against the red ball and some of the women's games most exciting new talent.

The Gumbaynggir batter peeled off an innings-shaping unbeaten 142 for CA Gold at Bankstown Oval on Wednesday, helping her side to a strong total of 292.

The returning CA Gold-CA Green fixture was introduced as a chance for exposure to long-form experience for Australia's highly-touted cricket talent in the women's annual calendar.

It's a key piece of the elite pathway, Cricket Australia national selector and head of performance Shawn Flegler said ahead of the three-day match.

Learoyd, 2025's CA Indigenous Cricketer of the Year, fell just short of 150, striking 15 boundaries and a dig near tripling the next best contribution from her side.

It comes less than a fortnight out from this year's National Indigenous Cricket Championships, where the 23-year-old helped NSW to the 2024 title in a personal campaign acknowledged with selection in team of the tournament.

Learoyd didn't appear at the 2025 Championships, with her state yet to publicly confirm their squad heading to Mackay.

The 23-year-old posted a high-score of 43 from seven matches in this summer's Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) — her sixth season and third since cementing herself in Sydney Thunder's first choice XI.

She was also a key figure for NSW in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL), which saw the Breakers fall short of the title in last month's final against Queensland. Learoyd ended her WNCL campaign with 267 runs, which was among her state's best contributors.

Twelve months earlier she led her side to a drought breaking WNCL title, her gritty 80 (110) earning her player of the match honours.

In the CA Green v Gold contest, her teammate, Melbourne Stars and Victoria allrounder, Jawoyn woman Ella Hayward was unlucky, ending with 10 runs.

Hayward, 22, is similarly familiar with the NICCs, and previously represented Australia in the national under-19 team.

"The three-day format is an important step in preparing players for the demands of international cricket, and it complements the continued growth of our Australia A program," Flegler said earlier this month, via cricket.com.au.

"We're looking forward to seeing a high standard of cricket across the three days, along with players putting their names forward for future national selection."

Last month, Learoyd signed with Somerset County Cricket Club ahead of the English summer.

CA Green will resume on day two at 1-63.