Two Western Australian cricketing prodigies, Veronica Keen and Hayden Collins have been awarded WA Cricket Foundation's inaugural Hayward Aboriginal Scholarship to support their development as pathway players touted for higher honours.
As members of WA Cricket's Aboriginal Academy, the Midland Guildford Cricket Club pair have been awarded the scholarship having represented Western Australia at the 2023 National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC) in Alice Springs and respectively at under 16 and under 17 National Championships level.
Keen has been selected in the WA Female Academy side for the 2023-24 season and is in her second year of pathway programs with WA Cricket.
She captained the Western Australian side at the 2023 NICC, leading the women's division of the tournament with 234 runs at 58.50.
Following her strong performance at last season's NICC, Keen as named in the Australian Indigenous Women's Team and travelled to Vanuatu with the squad earlier this year.
Collins is also in his second year in the Aboriginal Talent Academy, and has been selected to attend an Australian Indigenous training camp in Melbourne later this month.
Part of the WA Under 17 state squad in 2022, the Midland Guildford Cricket Club run machine churned out 1000 runs before the Christmas break last season, form which included multiple hundreds.
The Hayward Aboriginal Scholarship has been named after respected Nyoongar elder Professor Colleen Hayward in recognition of her contribution to education and sport, and Aboriginal people in Western Australia.
WA Cricket Foundation Head of Philanthropy Carolyn Turner says the scholarship is beneficial for those coming up through the Academy.
"We are committed to providing opportunities to our up-and-coming Aboriginal talent, and this scholarship will allow us to further support worthy participants of our Aboriginal Talent Academy," Ms Turner said.
"This scholarship will assist the recipients in further progressing their development with the aim of achieving a higher Aboriginal representation in first-class cricket in Western Australia.
"We are excited to follow Veronica and Hayden's journey over the next year."
An initiative of John Gardner through Sustainable Sport Australia, and Stephen Munday through the Goodeve Foundation, the Foundation's Aboriginal Talent Academy was established in 2022 to create a clearer pathway for talented Aboriginal cricketers from community cricket right through to state representation.
Mr Gardner says the scholarship will assist talented cricketers within WA Cricket's Aboriginal pathway.
"This scholarship was established to ultimately grow Aboriginal participation in the game of cricket at all levels and facilitate the development of talented Aboriginal cricketers who show potential to reach state selection," he said.
"We are honoured to have Colleen Hayward involved given her influence and position within the Aboriginal community in Western Australia and as a former teacher to Stephen and I, it was wonderful to have her announce Veronica and Hayden as our first recipients.
"The Aboriginal Talent Academy is an essential pathway program within WA Cricket and we are thrilled to be supporting the next generation of Aboriginal cricketers through this scholarship."
The Scholarship is one of numerous Aboriginal cricket initiatives by the WA Cricket Foundation, which also offers School Leadership, Deadly Cricket and the Kambarang Youth Carnival programs to support the development of Indigenous cricketers throughout Western Australia.
