Leonie Coleman: Former Test keeper has Riverside net named after her

An admirable achievement, to be sure.

But what that sign does not reveal is the crucial function athletes like the Moonbi-raised former wicketkeeper played in the crowd-pulling televised spectacle women's cricket is today.

So when Coleman again became the centre of attention, long after retiring from first-class cricket, at the official naming of the net on Saturday, she did so as a cricketing pioneer who helped blaze a path for others to follow.

Take a bow, Leonie Anne Coleman.

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"It's a huge privilege having a net named after you," she said, adding: "To come back here and get recognised with all the other Australian representatives, it's really good."

There are four Riverside 1 nets. The first was named after current Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood. The others will be named after the late John Gleeson and Melbourne Stars allrounder Erin Osborne.

Standing under an unimpeded sun on a sublime summer morning, Coleman - who turns 43 in February - presented as a manifestation of healthy living: a beaming smile, a glowing olive complexion and the same pocket-rocket physique that served her so well behind the stumps.

She plays golf and does gym work. Fellow golfers, she said, had told her they "watched the cricket, and your name was mentioned, or something like that".

Coleman, who has long lived in Sydney, returned to Moonbi to spend Christmas with her father, Ian, and to catch up with friends. Her late mother, Anne, was a cricket coach who helped shape numerous cricket careers, including her daughter's.

Coleman, who played two Twenty20 internationals, is assistant principle (curriculum and instruction) at Condell Park Public School. She worked as a primary school teacher while still playing first-class cricket.

"I don't have any regrets," she also said. "We played for fun. We enjoyed it."

However, Coleman said "it was a tough gig trying to juggle full-time work and then training [and playing] as well."

She added: "But now, it's so good for the girls being able to train and play full-time, and then getting paid for it. And now being on television all the time, it's great for the sport."

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