Lauren Roney sort of fell into cricket.
It was never a sport she had the opportunity to play growing up, but it was always something she admired from afar, following the game and watching her brothers play.
But when the former Taieri College teacher moved to Invercargill to be with her partner, Southland Hawke Cup captain Brendon Domigan, she was ready for a career change.
Domigan encouraged her to apply for the role of Southland Cricket general manager — "‘I always loved the sport, I love following it" — and 18 months later, Roney is in the throes of the hectic summer season despite technically being on maternity leave.
It helped being surrounded by a great team in Southland and further afield, she said, praising the support from Otago Cricket and New Zealand Cricket.
"I’ve had a lot of opportunities," Roney said.
"They’ve been really supportive. They’ve been awesome.
"Like any job, there’s been challenges in a new position, but really looking forward to getting back into it."
Roney grew up in Ranfurly and moved to Oamaru with her family when she was 16, finishing secondary school at St Kevin’s College.
At school, she played hockey and rugby — as a midfielder and, later in her career, shifting to the forwards — continuing with both sports when she moved to Dunedin in 2003 to study towards being a teacher.
She played for Pirates, tasting success in 2011 when they won their first title in 21 years, and played a handful of games for the Otago Spirit from 2007 to 2009.
Playing at Carisbrook and Eden Park remain fond memories, as are the friendships made during her career and looking on with pride at the way the women’s game had changed.
"I know rugby’s changed a lot, in a good way, since I finished playing.
"There’s a lot more resources and funding and things put into women’s rugby.
"You just played because you loved it when I played.
"It probably sort of starting to get to that when I finished."
After finishing her studies, Roney joined Balmacewen Intermediate School in 2007, teaching there for nearly nine years — punctuated by a two-year stint in London during which she finished her rugby career — and spent her final two years teaching at Taieri.
She left Taieri when she was pregnant with her daughter, Zoe, now nearly 2, and moved to Invercargill to be with partner Domigan. They have since welcomed their son, 6-month-old Nico.
Domigan had been involved in the sport since he was a teenager, playing for Otago Country and now Southland.
"There’s a lot of cricketing chat in our household, that’s for sure," she said.
"Sometimes we actually have to ban it."
Roney considered Southland lucky for its community support, local funders and the facilities, including Queens Park, and was pleased to see the Otago Volts and Sparks back in Invercargill, despite drainage issues interrupting the Sparks game.
"We’ve been stoked to have first-class [cricket] back here this year but that’s been a bit up and down.
"We had the first Volts game and it was amazing and the first half of the Sparks game on the Saturday went really well and then the rain and the wind arrived.
"That’s probably the most frustrating thing about being down south — things like that which are outside our control."
Weather did not deter their playing numbers, though. Senior numbers were consistent across the three grades and the junior and youth numbers were positive.
Once she returns from maternity leave next year, Roney wants to work in conjunction with Otago Cricket to get more girls playing cricket in Southland.
"We do have some girls that play and they do get some really great opportunities.
"It’s something I’m quite passionate about so that’s a wee goal for the next couple of years.
"It’s not something that’s going to just happen quickly but it’s something that we’re going to focus on and try and built up over the next couple of years."
