Steph Townsend earns captaincy role for Victoria Country, one of six south-west selections

Townsend was one of six south-west cricketers announced in the 14-player squad under Mornington Peninsula-based coach Keith Jansz. Warrnambool's Tiegan Kavanagh, Port Fairy's Maddie Green, Hamilton's Anna Habel and Eliza Jagger and Casterton's Alyssa Humphries were among selections.

The Nirranda coach said it was both an honour to represent her state and take on captaincy duties at the first championships since 2019-20. She is confident the selected team's skillset will bode well for Vic Country's chances.

"Coming into the championships, we're sitting pretty well to hopefully play some finals," she said. "I don't think there has been a year Victoria hasn't been involved in finals since the very first championship held in Mt Gambier.

"We'll look to continue on that run and anything else is a bonus. We won it a couple years ago in Shepparton (in 2019) which was fantastic.

"We're a pretty competitive bunch and I think with the talent we've got in the squad we'd be looking to push really deep into finals."

She said Jansz had an abundance of cricket knowledge and was immensely passionate about women's cricket and country championships.

"I think for the girls new to the squad and that younger age group, I think it will be very beneficial to them having Keithy as a coach," she said.

With Gippsland duo Emma Gallagher and Chelsea Moscript also past Vic Country captains, the squad is buoyed by strong leadership. But a focus on finding a balance of experienced and up-and-coming talent was important when selecting the team, according to Townsend.

"It's a really nice pathway to showcase some country talent," she said. "You've got the likes of Alyssa Humphries who is a premier cricketer at EMP (Essendon Maribyrnong Park), a former Western Waves player. The likes of Maddie Green, who is an up-and-comer, Eliza Jagger another up-and-comer.

"There is a lot of youth mixed in with experience that hopefully we've selected a really strong squad to represent Victoria."

With Vic Country encasing a wide geographical range, Townsend said she and Jansz would work hard to bring the team together both off-and-on field. "I think it's really exciting to showcase other areas of country Victoria cricket, not just the metropolitan in itself," she said. "I've got a really good relationship with Keithy... and he's all about morale and bringing the side together. You see performances shine when a team plays as one."

The women's championship will run alongside the men's championship, with fellow Warrnambool and District men's cricketers Cam Williams and Ethan Boyd, a first-time selection, named in the team. Townsend said she was looking forward to supporting the duo on the women's rest days.

"I think it will be a really good opportunity for Ethan especially, and also Cam to have another crack at that level," she said.

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